Expression of matrix metalloproteinases in the neurogenic niche of the adult monkey hippocampus after ischemia.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), zinc-dependent endopeptidases capable of remodeling extracellular matrix and regulating cellular signals, have been implicated in various neurological functions and diseases. However, the role of MMPs in the adult neurogenesis still remains to be clarified, particularly in the primate. Here, we studied differential expression of MMP9/2 in the neurogenic niche of the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) after transient global brain ischemia in young adult macaque monkeys. Zymography demonstrated biphasic upregulation of MMP9 in acute (Days 1–3) and delayed (Days 7–15) phases of postischemic reaction, whereas the level of MMP2 was elevated only in the delayed phase. Immunofluorescence histochemistry showed that MMP9 and MMP2 colabeled with markers of endothelial cells, astrocytes, and newborn neurons in the subgranular zone (SGZ) of the DG, and also that the percentage of coexpression significantly increased in the delayed postischemic phase, as compared with controls. However, colabeling with different cell selective markers reached its peak at different time points, i.e., with endothelial cells on Day 7, whereas with astrocytes and newborn neurons on Day 15, respectively. MMPs were localized both in the perikarya and dendrites in the newborn neurons. In conclusion, MMP9/2 expression was regulated in a cell- and time-specific manner in hippocampal neurogenic niche of adult primates. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.