Expression of Pax2 protein during the formation of the central nervous system in human embryos

Abstract

Members of the paired box (Pax) gene family are expressed in distinctive regions of the developing central nervous system, supporting a role of neural patterning. In this study, Pax2 protein expression was examined in the developing neural tube by immunohistochemistry methods in 30 human embryos of Carnegiestages (CS) 10–20 collected after legal abortions. Pax2 expression was detected along the boundaries of main divisions of the developing brain and spinal cord. However, Pax2 expression was found to be stronger in the developing brain than in the spinal cord of the same young embryos in CS 10–14, which was the mostremarkable at CS 10. Pax2 expression was detected in the developing forebrain,midbrain and hindbrain. At later stages (CS 16–20) Pax2 expression was observed in the midbrain-hindbrain boundary and also in the developing diencephalon and cerebellum. In the wall of developing spinal cord Pax2 expression was detected in the ventricular, mantel and marginal layers. Pax2 staining was seen to increase throughout the later stages of spinal cord development and significantly stronger expression was found at CS 16–20 compared to CS 10. Furthermore, spatially restricted expression of Pax2 was observed along the compartmental dorsal-ventralaxis of the spinal cord as Pax2 staining was weaker in the ventricular layer of the ventral part of the developing spinal cord compared with developing area of dorsal part.