Cerebellar diseases causing substantial cell loss often lead to severe functional deficits and restoration of cerebellar function is difficult. Neurotransplantation therapy could become a hopeful method, but there are still many limitations and unknown aspects. Studies in a variety of cerebellar mutant mice reflecting heterogeneity of human cerebellar degenerations show promising results as well as new problems and questions to be answered. The aim of this work was to compare the development of embryonic cerebellar grafts in adult B6CBA Lurcher and B6.BR pcd mutant mice and strain-matched healthy wild type mice. Performance in the rotarod test, graft survival, structure, and volume was examined 2 months after the transplantation or sham-operation. The grafts survived in most of the mice of all types. In both B6CBA and B6.BR wild type mice and in pcd mice, colonization of the host's cerebellum was a common finding, while in Lurcher mice, the grafts showed a low tendency to infiltrate the host's cerebellar tissue. There were no significant differences in graft volume between mutant and wild type mice. Nevertheless, B6CBA mice had smaller grafts than their B6.BR counterparts. The transplantation did not improve the performance in the rotarod test. The study showed marked differences in graft integration into the host's cerebellum in two types of cerebellar mutants, suggesting disease-specific factors influencing graft fate.

• MeSH
• modely nemocí na zvířatech * MeSH
• mozeček fyziologie   transplantace   MeSH
• myši - mutanty neurologické MeSH
• myši inbrední C57BL MeSH
• myši inbrední CBA MeSH
• myši MeSH
• nemoci mozečku patologie   terapie   MeSH
• neurodegenerativní nemoci patologie   terapie   MeSH
• přežívání štěpu fyziologie   MeSH
• transplantace fetální tkáně metody   MeSH
• transplantace mozkové tkáně metody   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• myši MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

For many degenerative cerebellar diseases, currently, no effective treatment that would substantially restore cerebellar functions is available. Neurotransplantation could be a promising therapy for such cases. Nevertheless, there are still severe limitations for routine clinical use. The aim of the work was to assess volume and morphology and functional impact on motor skills of an embryonic cerebellar graft injected in the form of cell suspension in Lurcher mutant and wild-type mice of the B6CBA and C3H strains after a 6-month survival period. The grafts survived in the majority of the mice. In both B6CBA and C3H Lurcher mice, most of the grafts were strictly delimited with no tendency to invade the host cerebellum, while in wild-type mice, graft-derived Purkinje cells colonized the host's cerebellum. In C3H Lurcher mice, but not in B6CBA Lurchers, the grafts had smaller volume than in their wild-type counterparts. C3H wild-type mice had significantly larger grafts than B6CBA wild-type mice. No positive effect of the transplantation on performance in the rotarod test was observed. The findings suggest that the niche of the Lurcher mutant cerebellum has a negative impact on integration of grafted cells. This factor seems to be limiting for specific functional effects of the transplantation therapy in this mouse model of cerebellar degeneration.

• MeSH
• druhová specificita MeSH
• longitudinální studie MeSH
• metoda rotující tyčky MeSH
• modely nemocí na zvířatech MeSH
• motorické dovednosti MeSH
• mozeček embryologie   patologie   transplantace   MeSH
• myši - mutanty neurologické MeSH
• myši inbrední C3H MeSH
• myši inbrední CBA MeSH
• myši transgenní MeSH
• nemoci mozečku patologie   patofyziologie   terapie   MeSH
• neurodegenerativní nemoci patologie   patofyziologie   terapie   MeSH
• přežívání štěpu * fyziologie   MeSH
• transplantace mozkové tkáně * MeSH
• zelené fluorescenční proteiny genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

Hereditary cerebellar ataxias are severe diseases for which therapy is currently not sufficiently effective. One of the possible therapeutic approaches could be neurotransplantation. Lurcher mutant mice are a natural model of olivocerebellar degeneration representing a tool to investigate its pathogenesis as well as experimental therapies for hereditary cerebellar ataxias. The effect of intracerebellar transplantation of embryonic cerebellar solid tissue or cell suspension on motor performance in adult Lurcher mutant and healthy wild-type mice was studied. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor level was measured in the graft and adult cerebellar tissue. Gait analysis and rotarod, horizontal wire, and wooden beam tests were carried out 2 or 6 months after the transplantation. Higher level of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor was found in the Lurcher cerebellum than in the embryonic and adult wild-type tissue. A mild improvement of gait parameters was found in graft-treated Lurcher mice. The effect was more marked in cell suspension grafts than in solid transplants and after the longer period than after the short one. Lurcher mice treated with cell suspension and examined 6 months later had a longer hind paw stride (4.11 vs. 3.73 mm, P < 0.05) and higher swing speed for both forepaws (52.46 vs. 32.79 cm/s, P < 0.01) and hind paws (63.46 vs. 43.67 cm/s, P < 0.001) than controls. On the other hand, classical motor tests were not capable of detecting clearly the change in the motor performance. No strong long-lasting negative effect of the transplantation was seen in wild-type mice, suggesting that the treatment has no harmful impact on the healthy cerebellum.

• MeSH
• časové faktory MeSH
• chůze (způsob) MeSH
• metoda rotující tyčky MeSH
• mozeček embryologie   metabolismus   transplantace   MeSH
• mozkový neurotrofický faktor metabolismus   MeSH
• multisystémová atrofie patofyziologie   terapie   MeSH
• myši - mutanty neurologické MeSH
• myši inbrední C57BL MeSH
• myši inbrední CBA MeSH
• myši transgenní MeSH
• pohybová aktivita MeSH
• spinocerebelární degenerace patofyziologie   terapie   MeSH
• transplantace fetální tkáně metody   MeSH
• transplantace mozkové tkáně metody   MeSH
• výsledek terapie MeSH
• zelené fluorescenční proteiny genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH

SCA2 transgenic mice are thought to be a useful model of human spinocerebellar ataxia type 2. There is no effective therapy for cerebellar degenerative disorders, therefore neurotransplantation could offer hope. The aim of this work was to assess the survival and morphology of embryonic cerebellar grafts transplanted into the cerebellum of adult SCA2 mice. Four month-old homozygous SCA2 and negative control mice were treated with bilateral intracerebellar injections of an enhanced green fluorescent protein-positive embryonic cerebellar cell suspension. Graft survival and morphology were examined three months later. Graft-derived Purkinje cells and the presence of astrocytes in the graft were detected immunohistochemically. Nissl and hematoxylin-eosin techniques were used to visualize the histological structure of the graft and surrounding host tissue. Grafts survived in all experimental mice; no differences in graft structure, between SCA2 homozygous and negative mice, were found. The grafts contained numerous Purkinje cells but long distance graft-to-host axonal connections to the deep cerebellar nuclei were rarely seen. Relatively few astrocytes were found in the center of the graft. No signs of inflammation or tissue destruction were seen in the area around the grafts. Despite good graft survival and the presence of graft-derived Purkinje cells, the structure of the graft did not seem to promise any significant specific functional effects. We have shown that the graft is available for long-term experiments. Nevertheless, it would be beneficial to search for ways of enhancement of connections between the graft and host.

• MeSH
• mozeček patologie   transplantace   MeSH
• myši transgenní MeSH
• přežívání štěpu MeSH
• sexuální faktory MeSH
• spinocerebelární ataxie terapie   MeSH
• transplantace fetální tkáně * MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH

Lurcher mutant mice represent a natural model of genetically-determined olivocerebellar degeneration caused by a mutation in the δ2 glutamate receptor gene. They suffer from progressive postnatal loss of cerebellar Purkinje cells and a decrease of granule cells and inferior olive neurons. Their wild type littermates serve as healthy controls. A confocal laser scanning microscope was used aiming investigation the dynamics of changes in the cerebellar cortex of Lurcher and wild type mice derived from two strains during the period of 8-21 postnatal days. Fluorescent double-staining was used to visualize mainly the Purkinje cells in cerebellar slices. In wild types, only normal Purkinje cells of round or regular drop-shaped were present, when staining intensity of other individual cell structures differed in dependence on the age of the animal. In Lurcher mutants, there were still some normal-shaped cells. Nevertheless, depending on the animal's age, a wide variety of stages of the cell degeneration were depicted. The main characteristics of Purkinje cell degeneration in the early stage are: disruption of the continuity of the Purkinje cell layer, dark spots in cell nuclei and an irregular coloring of the cytoplasm. Later, the cells and their nuclei were deformed, often with two main dendrites sprouting from the cell body. Finally, the cell and nucleus margins were unclear, dendrites were significantly thickened, showing signs of shrinkage and fragmentation. Cell nucleoli underwent changes in number and appearance. No differences between the Lurcher mice of both strains (C3H and B6CBA) under examination were found.

• MeSH
• barvení a značení metody   MeSH
• časové faktory MeSH
• fluorescenční barviva metabolismus   MeSH
• glutamátové receptory nedostatek   MeSH
• konfokální mikroskopie MeSH
• kůra mozečku patologie   MeSH
• myši - mutanty neurologické MeSH
• myši MeSH
• Purkyňovy buňky chemie   cytologie   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• myši MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH