Expression of CXCL10 in cultured cortical neurons

Chemokines expressed in neurons are important mediators in neuron-neuron and neuron-glia signaling. One of these chemokines is CCL21 that activates microglia via the chemokine receptor CXCR3. As neurons also express CXCL10, a main ligand for CXCR3, we have thus investigated in detail the expression pattern of CXCL10 in neurons. We show that CXCL10 is constitutively expressed by neurons, is stored in large dense-core vesicles and is not regulated by neuronal injury or stress. Neuronal CXCL10 release occurred constitutively at low level. In vivo CXCL10 expression was found in the developing brain at various embryonic stages and its peak expression correlates with the presence of CD11b- and GFAP-positive cells expressing CXCR3. These results suggest a possible role of neuronal CXCL10 in recruitment and homing of glial cells during embryogenesis.