Differential expression of basic fibroblast growth factor-2 in the developing rat brain.

Basic fibroblast growth factor-2 is a trophic molecule involved in a number of functions within the CNS, including the regulation of CNS responses to injury. Prior studies suggest that rats recover differently from injury inflicted to different regions and at different ages throughout development, and that basic fibroblast growth factor-2 may, at least in part, underlie this phenomenon. In the present study, we describe the distribution of basic fibroblast growth factor-2 at postnatal days 0, 2, 6, 10, 12, 14, 18, 21 and 30 in the indusium griseum, the external capsule, the hippocampus, the medial prefrontal cortex, the motor cortex, the rostral migratory stream, and the subventricular zone. Our results suggest a differential temporal and spatial expression of basic fibroblast growth factor-2 throughout development, which may explain the differential recovery observed from cortical lesions inflicted at different time points after birth.