Expression of the proteoglycan SPOCK during mouse embryo development.

SPOCK is a modular proteoglycan, with homology with proteins involved in cell adhesion processes and neurogenesis. We have previously shown that SPOCK transcripts predominate in the adult mouse brain. Here, we report its expression during mouse embryonic development by in situ hybridization, and immunocytochemistry. SPOCK is actively expressed at the onset of neurogenesis during periods of neuron migration and axonal outgrowth. At a later developmental stage, its expression is particularly prevalent within developing synaptic fields. In the peripheral nervous system, SPOCK expression is also developmentally regulated particularly in dorsal root ganglion neurons.