Characterization of a monoclonal antibody, Namu mAb, which reacts to the subventricular zone in mouse brain.

The lateral ventricle in adult mammalian brain is widely acknowledged as one of the areas that undifferentiated neural cells such as neural stem cells and neural progenitor cells inhabit. However, immunological aspects of neural stem cells in the lateral ventricle are still under debate. Here, we report the generation and characterization of a novel monoclonal antibody (mAb), called Namu mAb, which stains the subventricular zone in the lateral ventricle of adult mouse brain.

Protein processing and releases of neuregulin-1 are regulated in an activity-dependent manner.

Identification of the key molecules that bridge presynaptic neuronal events and long-term modification of the postsynaptic process is an important challenge which will have to be met in order to further our understanding of the mechanisms for learning and memory. This study is focused on neuregulin-1 (NRG-1), a neurotrophic factor, that is known to regulate the development of various tissues and/or the life/death of cells through activation of the ErbB family receptor tyrosine kinases. It was discovered that the soluble form of NRG-1 (sNRG-1) is produced from the transmembrane form of NRG through proteolytic cleavage during electrical stimulation of either cultured cerebellar granule cells (GCs) or pontine nucleus neurons (PNs) that are presynaptic to GCs.