Morphological analysis of the GABA function using knockout mice lacking of molecules involved in GABAergic signaling

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1.We investigated the ontogeny of GABAergic neurons, GABAergic synapses, and GABA removal system in the developing mouse spinal cord as the normal control of knockout mice.2.We investigated the changes in GABAergic signaling during degeneration and regeneration of hypoglossal and facial nerves. We found that GABAergic signaling changed to the immatute form during regeneration, suggesting that GABA may act as an excitatory transmitter and be involved in regeneration of axons.3.We morphologically investigated the knockout mice lacking three molecules involved in GABAergic signaling, glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD), vesicular GABA transporter (VGAT), and potassium chloride cotransporter (KCC2). We found that the number and localization of calbindin-positive or calretinin-positive interneurons in the dorsal horn of spinal cord of three types of knockout mice, suggesting that GABA might be involved in migration and proliferation of interneurons in the spinal cord during development.