Retroviral manipulation of the expression of bone morphogenetic protein receptor Ia by SVZa progenitor cells leads to changes in their p19^INK4d expression but not in their neuronal commitment

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), a group of cytokines in the TGF-β superfamily, have complex regulatory roles in the control of neural proliferation and cell fate decision. In this study, we analyzed the potential role(s) of BMP signaling on the regulation of the proliferation and differentiation of the unique progenitor cells of the neonatal anterior subventricular zone (SVZa). Unlike other progenitor cells of the brain, SVZa progenitor cells have the capacity to divide even though they express a neuronal phenotype. In order to augment or inhibit endogenous BMP signaling, we injected into the neonatal rat SVZa replication-deficient retroviruses encoding for either the wild-type BMP receptor subtype Ia (wt-BMPR-Ia) or a mutated dominant-negative version of BMPR-Ia (dn-BMPR-Ia) in conjunction with a reporter gene, human alkaline phosphatase (AP) and perfused the pups 1, 4 and 7 days post injection. We analyzed whether changing the expression of BMPR-Ia has an effect on the spatial-temporal expression pattern of the cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor, p19^INK4d, or on the phenotype of SVZa derived cells. The results of our study confirmed and extended our previous findings that in control (non injected) animals, the rostral migratory stream (RMS), traversed by the SVZa-derived cells en route to the olfactory bulb, exhibits an anterior^high-posterior^low gradient of p19^INK4d expression; p19^INK4d expression is essentially absent in the SVZa and highest in the subependymal zone in the middle of the olfactory bulb. However, SVZa progenitor cells encoding the wt-BMPR-Ia gene express p19^INK4d within the SVZa, suggesting that the BMPs induce SVZa cells to ectopically undergo cell cycle exit within the SVZa. Furthermore, unlike striatal SVZ progenitor cells, which acquire an astrocytic phenotype when exposed to BMPs, SVZa progenitor cells retain their neuronal commitment under augmented BMP signaling.