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Developmental patterns of caspase-3, bax and bcl-2 proteins expression in the human spinal ganglia

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Abstract

The distribution of the bcl-2, bax and caspase-3 proteins was investigated in the cells of developing human spinal ganglia. Paraffin sections of 10 human conceptuses between 5th and 9th gestational weeks were analysed morphologically, immunohistochemically and by TUNEL-method. Cells positive to caspase-3 had brown stained nuclei or nuclear fragmentations. At earliest stages, 6% of ganglion population were caspase-3 positive cells. Later on, a significant increase in number of caspase-3 positive cells appeared, particularly in the ventral part of ganglia (12%), and subsequently decreased to 6%. TUNEL-positive cells had the same distribution pattern as caspase-3 positive cells. Bax-positive cells followed the developmental pattern similar to caspase-3 cells, changing in range between 20% and 32%. There were 8% of bcl-2 positive cells at earliest stages. They increased significantly in dorsal part of the ganglion during the 7th week (28%), and than dropped to 15% by the end of the 8th week. These findings suggest a ventro-dorsal course of development in human spinal ganglia. Number of bcl-2, bax and caspase-3 positive cells changed in a temporally and spatially restricted manner, coincidently with ganglion differentiation. While apoptosis might control cell number, bcl-2 could act in suppression of apoptosis and enhancement of cell differentiation.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Mrs. Asja Miletic for expert technical assistance. This work was supported by the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports of the Republic of Croatia (grant no. 021-2160528-0507 and grant no. 021-2160528-0522), Federation Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (grant “Development of human peripheral nervous system”) and Croatian-Slovenian project “Biomarkers of normal and abnormal development and associated multifactorial disorders”.

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  1. Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, School of Medicine, University of Split, 21000, Split, Croatia

    Katarina Vukojevic, Dominko Carev, Damir Sapunar & Mirna Saraga-Babic

  2. Department of Histology and Embryology, School of Medicine, University of Mostar, 88000, Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina

    Katarina Vukojevic

  3. Institute of Histology and Embryology, Medical Faculty of Ljubljana, 1105, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Danijel Petrovic

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  1. Katarina Vukojevic
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Correspondence to Katarina Vukojevic.

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Vukojevic, K., Carev, D., Sapunar, D. et al. Developmental patterns of caspase-3, bax and bcl-2 proteins expression in the human spinal ganglia. J Mol Hist 39, 339–349 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10735-008-9171-4

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