FIGURE 4

FIGURE 4

Reactive proliferation of neurod:GFP-positive progenitors in the adult zebrafish SAG upon lesion. Immunohistochemistry against the proliferation marker proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and GFP in the SAG of neurod:GFP transgenic animals. Shown are representative images of the neurogenic niche of the SAG following sham treatment, or NaCl or ouabain injection as well as the unlesioned side (ULS) of either sham-treated, or NaCl- or ouabain-injected animals at 2, 4, 8, 16, and 57 days post lesion (dpl). Boxes show close-ups to visualize costaining. Proliferating but marker-negative cells close to neurod:GFP-positive cells (arrows) were found frequently in unlesioned sides, for example, at 2 dpl and in sham-treated SAGs at 57 dpl. However, proliferating neurod:GFP/PCNA double-positive cells (arrowheads) were also present from 2 dpl onward in ouabain-injected animals (right column) and frequently from 4 dpl onward in sham-treated and NaCl-injected animals (medial columns). Proliferating neurod:GFP/PCNA double-positive cells continued to be present at 8 and 16 dpl before returning to homeostatic levels at 57 dpl when the majority of sham-treated, or NaCl- or ouabain-injected animals did not show proliferating neuronal progenitors in the lesioned SAG. In SAGs of unlesioned sides, PCNA/neurod:GFP double-positive cells are found occasionally, in particular, in the unlesioned sides of ouabain-injected fish at 8 dpl. Scale bar: 50 µm.