Distribution of calcium-binding protein calbindin-D28k in the auditory system of adult and developing rats

Calbindin-D28k (CaBP) is a calcium-binding protein, which appears to be involved in the buffering of free intracellular calcium and may thereby contribute to calcium homeostasis. This study attempted to determine the distribution pattern of CaBP immunoreactivity in the central auditory system of adult rats and during development, when calcium ions play key roles in several aspects of nerve cell function. It was found that most steps during CaBP development occur postnatally in the central auditory system. With the exception of the lateral superior olive, the ventral and the intermediate nuclei of the lateral lemniscus, and the auditory cortex, which already express CaBP prenatally, CaBP immunoreactivity is not present before postnatal day 2 (P2). Development proceeds until about P24, when the pattern characteristic of adult animals can be seen. There was no detectable sequence in CaBP development from lower to higher stations in the auditory pathway, i.e., the different nuclei appear to express CaBP independently of each other, indicating that intrinsic, rather than peripheral, maturation processes may predominantly influence CaBP expression. Neurons in four brainstem nuclei (the lateral superior olive, the ventral and intermediate nuclei of the lateral lemniscus, and the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus) express CaBP only transiently. In these nuclei, CaBP immunoreactivity peaks between P6 and P18, which coincides with the period of synapse stabilization. Therefore, CaBP may play a specific role during neuronal development, by buffering the concentration of intracellular free Ca2+, which may be necessary for modification of synaptic efficiency.