Cortical Thrombospondin Expression
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Hover over keys for definitions:Expression of THBS2 and THBS4 genes and protein in adult frontal cortex increased in human evolution. Thrombospondins are proteins that promote the formation of synapses. Increased expression of thrombospondins in the frontal cortex of humans, compared to other primates including chimpanzees, has been demonstrated with microarrays, PCR, Western blotting and immunohistochemistry.
Expression of THBS2 and THBS4 genes and protein in adult frontal cortex increased in human evolution. The thrombospondins are proteins that promote the formation of synapses. Comparative microarray studies of gene expression indicate that THBS4 and THBS2 are expressed at higher levels in the cortex of humans compared to chimpanzees and other nonhuman primates. These results were confirmed using PCR with samples from prefrontal and temporal cortex. Western blotting with antibodies for THBS4 and THBS2 protein also demonstrated higher expression in humans, and immunohistochemistry for THBS4 in prefrontal cortex yielded much stronger labeling of the neuropil in humans than in chimpanzees or macaques (Cáceres et al., 2007).
References
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Inhibition of SRGAP2 function by its human-specific paralogs induces neoteny during spine maturation., , Cell, 2012 May 11, Volume 149, Issue 4, p.923-35, (2012)
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Increased cortical expression of two synaptogenic thrombospondins in human brain evolution., , Cereb Cortex, 2007 Oct, Volume 17, Issue 10, p.2312-21, (2007)
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Thrombospondins are astrocyte-secreted proteins that promote CNS synaptogenesis., , Cell, 2005 Feb 11, Volume 120, Issue 3, p.421-33, (2005)
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Human brain evolution: insights from microarrays., , Nat Rev Genet, Nov, Volume 5, Number 11, p.850-60, (2004)
