Division of Brain Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, 38 Nishigonaka Myodaiji, Okazaki, 444-8585, Japan.
Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8577, Japan.
BMC Res Notes. 2020 May 27;13(1):262. doi: 10.1186/s13104-020-05100-7.
SLITs are secreted glycoproteins that bind to Roundabouts (ROBOs) which are a family member of transmembrane receptors. SLIT signaling has well-conserved roles in mediating axon repulsion in a developing nervous system. We previously reported that SLIT1 mRNA is enriched in middle layers of the prefrontal cortex of macaque monkeys in a developmentally regulated manner. Other SLIT (SLIT2 and SLIT3) mRNAs showed preferential expressions in the prefrontal cortex with a distinct laminar pattern. To obtain further clues to the role of SLIT signaling in the organization of the primate brain, we performed ISH analysis of SLIT and ROBO mRNAs using adult macaque brain tissues.
In this study, we examined the expression patterns of SLITs and ROBOs (ROBO1 and ROBO2) in other brain regions, and found intense and characteristic expression patterns of these genes in the entorhinal-hippocampal area. In situ hybridization analysis revealed that SLIT1 and SLIT2 mRNAs showed marked complementary distribution in the entorhinal cortex. SLIT and ROBO mRNAs were widely expressed in the hippocampus with modest regional preference. These findings suggest that each SLIT gene has a specialized role that is particularly important for prefrontal as well as hippocampal connectivity in the primate cortex.
SLITs 是分泌的糖蛋白，可与 Roundabouts（ROBOs）结合，后者是跨膜受体家族的一员。SLIT 信号在调节发育中神经系统的轴突排斥中具有很好的保守作用。我们之前报道过，SLIT1 mRNA 以发育调节的方式在猕猴前额叶皮质的中间层中富集。其他 SLIT（SLIT2 和 SLIT3）mRNA 在前额皮质中表现出优先表达，具有明显的分层模式。为了进一步了解 SLIT 信号在灵长类大脑组织中的作用，我们使用成年猕猴脑组织对 SLIT 和 ROBO mRNA 进行了原位杂交分析。
在这项研究中，我们检查了 SLITs 和 ROBOs（ROBO1 和 ROBO2）在其他脑区的表达模式，发现在内嗅-海马区这些基因有强烈和特征性的表达模式。原位杂交分析显示，SLIT1 和 SLIT2 mRNA 在内嗅皮质中有明显的互补分布。SLIT 和 ROBO mRNA 在海马体中广泛表达，但具有适度的区域偏好。这些发现表明，每个 SLIT 基因都具有专门的作用，对灵长类皮质的前额叶和海马体连接性尤为重要。
