Postnatal changes in the DNA content of mouse cerebral hemispheres

Changes in the wet weight of the cerebral hemispheres and in their DNA content and concentration were studied in CBA mice (non-SPF, Velaz, Prague) aged from 1 to 270 days. It was found that hemisphere wet weight rose by 350% between the 1st and 14th day and by a further 11% between the 14th and 180th day. In the next three months it remained stable. The total DNA content rose by 30% between the 1st and 2nd day and by 45% between the 1st and 10th day; changes between the 10th and 180th day were non-significant, but a decrease of 16% occurred by the 270th day. Between the 1st and 2nd day the DNA concentration did not alter, or rose non-significantly (+20%). Towards the end of the 2nd postnatal week it fell exponentially (-75%). Changes in the DNA content and concentration indicate that the rate of cell proliferation in mouse cerebral hemispheres is highest on the first two days after birth, while the general chemical composition of the hemisphere develops fastest between the 2nd and 14th day. The constancy of the DNA content between the 10th and 180th day implies that cell division in the hemispheres of adolescent and adult mice primarily reflects renewal of the non-neuronal cell population.