Postnatal expression pattern of doublecortin (DCX) in some areas of the developing brain of mouse.

We have investigated the spatio-temporal expression pattern of doublecortin (DCX) protein from postnatal day (P) 2 to postnatal day (P) 22 in the brain of developing mouse. We compared the expression of DCX in the rostral migratory stream (RMS) and dentate gyrus of the hippocampus (DG). Weak expression of DCX was detected in the RMS at P5, it became gradually stronger during the second postnatal week and reached its strongest expression by P18-P22. Moderate DCX immunostaining was present in the DG at P11, its marked expression--characteristic of newly generated neurons in the adult DG -appeared only after P22. Morphological and functional maturation was different in the RMS and DG, continuous neurogenesis appeared earlier in the RMS than in the DG.