Figure 8.

MCMV infection impairs cerebral corticogenesis in the upper layer rather than the lower layer. Detection of Tbr1 (green) and Brn2 (red), as lower and upper layer markers, respectively, by immunofluorescence staining of sections of MCMV-infected fetal cerebra at 5 dpi. Nuclei were stained with DAPI (blue). (A) The localization of Tbr1⁺ or Brn2⁺ cells in a representative cerebral section of E18.5 fetus infected with mock virus (upper panel) or MCMV (lower panel). Despite no differences in the number of Tbr1⁺ neurons in the lower layer between the mock- and MCMV-infected cerebra, the number of Brn2⁺ neurons in the upper layer in the MCMV-infected cerebrum decreased. Scale bar = 100 μm. (B) The numbers of Tbr1⁺ and Brn2⁺ neurons in the upper and lower layers in a 1.6 mm² area of MCMV-infected cerebrum and in the corresponding area of mock-infected cerebrum. Data are expressed as mean ± SEM of three fetuses. *P < 0.05 compared with mock-infected fetuses. MCMV, murine cytomegalovirus.