Spatial and temporal expression of FoxO transcription factors in the developing and adult murine brain

In order to obtain leads to molecular mechanisms of signal transduction pathways and controlled gene expression in neuronal development we have screened the adult mouse brain for expressed forkhead transcription factors using a degenerate RT-PCR approach. Here, we focus on three FoxO genes found to be expressed in the brain: FoxO1, FoxO3 and FoxO6. The FoxO subfamily of forkhead transcription family is emerging as a central keypoint in an array of cellular functions, such as metabolism, differentiation and transformation. In situ hybridization experiments on adult and embryonic mouse brain showed differential expression patterns for three FoxO members. FoxO1 was strongly expressed in the striatum and neuronal subsets of the hippocampus (dentate gyrus and the ventral/posterior part of the CA regions), whereas FoxO3 was more diffusely expressed throughout the brain including all hippocampal areas, cortex and cerebellum. FoxO6 expression was eminent in various parts of the adult mouse brain, including the entire hippocampus, the amygdalohippocampal area and the shell of the nucleus accumbens. Remarkably, all three FoxO transcription factors were expressed relatively late in the developing murine brain, starting between E12.5 and E14. In summary, the presented data show FoxO factors to be expressed in the adult and developing mouse brain, in a spatially end temporally restricted manner.