Up-regulation of vimentin expression during regeneration in the adult fish brain

Abstract

In contrast to mammals, the brains of teleost fish exhibit an enormous regenerative capacity following injury. Here, we have examined the potential role of vimentin in this wound healing. Fifteen days after application of a mechanical lesion to the corpus cerebelli in the teleost fish Apteronotus leptoryhnchus, the areal density of vimentin-positive fibres increased significantly at the lesion site and in the remaining ipsilateral molecular layer. This density remained elevated throughout the time period of up to 100 days examined. Based on this spatio-temporal pattern of vimentin up-regulation we propose that this intermediate filament protein is involved in the survival, differentiation, and/or dendritic growth of the new cells that replace damaged cells in the injury zone.