Localization of urokinase-type plasminogen activator, its receptor, and inhibitors in mouse forebrain during postnatal development.

Proteolytic enzymes are postulated to play a role in cell migration and synapse organization during brain development. Among these, urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) has been studied in neoplastic and cultured brain cells extensively. We hypothesized that uPA, its receptor, and its inhibitors would be expressed in immature glial and neuronal cells in postnatal mouse forebrain. Immature cortical neurons were immunoreactive for uPA, its receptor, and its substrate plasminogen peaking at the end of postnatal week two, consistent with the postulated role in synaptogenesis. Immunoreactivity for uPA receptor was also observed on astroglial cells in vitro. Neither it nor uPA were convincingly detected in subventricular zone precursor cells, immature white matter or pre-labeled immature cells that had been transplanted into brain. Plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 immunoreactivity was observed on endothelia up to 12 days age, and type 2 was observed to surround immature cells. We conclude, based on the spatial and temporal distribution of immunoreactivity, that uPA and its receptor may be relatively more important for synaptogenesis, remodeling, and reactive processes than for cell migration in developing mouse brain.