Dentate granule cell layer collagen explant cultures: Spontaneous axonal growth and induction by brain-derived neurotrophic factor or basic fibroblast growth factor

The molecular mechanisms that underlie dentate granule cell axon (i.e., mossy fiber) growth during development and following seizure-induced hippocampal injury remain unknown. Part of this process may involve specific factors that support dentate granule cells during differentiation, and molecular cues that allow the appropriate growth of mossy fiber axons toward their targets. To study this process, we developed an in vitro assay system to …