The Journal of Neuroscience, July 31, 2013 • 33(31):12569 –12585 • 12569

Development/Plasticity/Repair

p63 Regulates Adult Neural Precursor and Newly Born
Neuron Survival to Control Hippocampal-Dependent
Behavior
Gonzalo I. Cancino,1,2 Adelaide P. Yiu,3* Michael P. Fatt,1,2,4* Chandrasagar B. Dugani,1,2,4 Elsa R. Flores,7
Paul W. Frankland,3,5 Sheena A. Josselyn,3,5 Freda D. Miller,2,4,5,6 and David R. Kaplan1,4,6
Programs in 1Cell Biology, 2Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, and 3Neurosciences and Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario M5G
1X8, Canada, 4Institute of Medical Science and Departments of 5Physiology and 6Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8,
Canada, and 7Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030

The molecular mechanisms that regulate adult neural precursor cell (NPC) survival, and thus maintain adult neurogenesis, are not welldefined. Here, we investigate the role of p63, a p53 family member, in adult NPC function in mice. Conditional ablation of p63 in adult
NPCs or p63 haploinsufficiency led to reduced numbers of NPCs and newborn neurons in the neurogenic zones of the hippocampus andlateral ventricles and in the olfactory bulb. These reductions were attributable to enhanced apoptosis of NPCs and newborn neurons andwere rescued by inhibition of caspase activity, p53, or the p53 apoptotic effector PUMA (p53-upregulated modulator of apoptosis).
Moreover, these cellular deficits were functionally important because they led to perturbations in hippocampus-dependent memory
formation. These results indicate that p63 regulates the numbers of adult NPCs and adult-born neurons as well as neural stem celldependent cognitive functions, and that it does so, at least in part, by inhibiting p53-dependent cell death.

Introduction
In the adult mammalian central nervous system (CNS), neurogenesis is thought to generate functional neurons throughout life.
Neural stem and progenitor cells reside in two neurogenic regions of the CNS, the dentate gyrus subgranular zone (SGZ) ofthe hippocampus and the subventricular zone (SVZ) of the lateral
ventricles, in which they generate dentate granule cells and olfactory bulb interneurons, respectively (Deng et al., 2010; Ming andSong, 2011). In the rodent hippocampus, neurogenesis contributes to the formation and consolidation of several forms ofhippocampal-dependent memory, whereas in the olfactory bulb,
it regulates aspects of olfactory learning. A variety of extrinsic
cues positively regulate adult NPC number and function, including growth factors and cytokines, exercise, pregnancy, and learning, whereas pathological events associated with aging, stress, andneurodegeneration negatively regulate neurogenesis.
Received March 22, 2013; revised May 28, 2013; accepted June 24, 2013.
Author contributions: G.I.C., F.D.M., and D.R.K. designed research; G.I.C., A.P.Y., M.P.F., and C.B.D. performed
research; E.R.F. contributed unpublished reagents/analytic tools; G.I.C., A.P.Y., P.W.F., and S.A.J. analyzed data;
G.I.C., P.W.F., S.A.J., F.D.M., and D.R.K. wrote the paper.
This work was funded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research Grants MOP-38021 and MOP-14446 (F.D.M.,
D.R.K.). G.I.C. is funded by fellowships from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and Becas Chile. F.D.M. and
D.R.K. hold Canada Research Chairs, and F.D.M. is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute International Research Scholar.
We thank Alea Mills (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) for the generous gift of the p63⫺/⫺ and p63fl/fl mice. We thankBenigno Aquino and Vania Ariosa for technical assistance.
*A.P.Y. and M.P.F. contributed equally to this work.
The authors declare no competing financial interests.
Correspondence should be addressed to both David R. Kaplan and Freda Miller, The Hospital for Sick Children, 555
University Avenue, Toronto, ON, Canada M5G 1X8. E-mail: dkaplan@sickkids.ca, fredam@sickkids.ca.
DOI:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1251-13.2013
Copyright © 2013 the authors 0270-6474/13/3312569-17$15.00/0

A precise and delicate balance between self-renewal, proliferation, survival, and differentiation is required for NPCs to contribute to cognitive function. Although much is known about thegenes and signaling proteins that regulate self-renewal, proliferation, and neurogenesis, little is known about those that regulate
NPC survival. In the adult SGZ and SVZ, basal and ongoing
apoptosis is regulated by the apoptosome component AIF(apoptosis-inducing factor) and the BH3 (Bcl-2 homology domain 3) family proteins BIM (Bcl-2 interacting mediator of cell
death), PUMA, and MCL1 (myeloid cell leukemia sequence 1)that function at the mitochondria (Bunk et al., 2010; Malone etal., 2012; Sun et al., 2012). These proteins are regulated by p53 inother cell types, and p53 deletion increases the survival of SVZderived neurospheres (Meletis et al., 2006). We previously implicated p63 in the survival of embryonic NPCs (Dugani et al.,2009), although there is no apparent CNS or NPC phenotype in
p63⫺/⫺ embryos (Holembowski et al., 2011). However, we did
not ask about a role for p63 in adult neural precursors, which are
regulated by different stimuli and have very different functions
from embryonic NPCs.
The p53 family of transcription factors, which includes p53,
p63, and p73, share similar transactivation, DNA binding, andoligomerization domains. p63 and p73 exist as N-terminal truncated (⌬N) and full-length (TA) isoforms attributable to alternative promoter usage, with the truncation deleting most of thetranscriptional activation potential of the proteins (Dötsch et al.,2010). The truncated isoforms suppress full-length isoform
activity by at least two mechanisms, by forming inactive heterodimers with full-length members, or by binding to andrepressing p53 family transcriptional promoters (Dötsch et12570 • J. Neurosci., July 31, 2013 • 33(31):12569 –12585

al., 2010). The ⌬N isoforms also directly suppress kinases such
as JNK (Wetzel et al., 2008).
p73 plays a prominent role in regulating the self-renewal andproliferation of NPCs (Fujitani et al., 2010; Talos et al., 2010;
Flores, 2011), and ⌬Np73 is critical for the survival of neurons in
the postnatal and adult rodent brain (Pozniak et al., 2002; Wetzel
et al., 2008; Tissir et al., 2009). This led us to ask whether other⌬N isoforms mediate survival of adult neural cell types. Here, we
identify ⌬Np63 as a key prosurvival protein for adult NPCs andshow that decreased survival of NPCs and adult-born neurons
resulting from perturbation of p63 has important repercussions
for cognitive function.

Materials and Methods
Animals and tamoxifen treatment. This study was approved by the Hospital for Sick Children Animal Care Committee, in accordance with Canadian Council on Animal Care guidelines. p63⫹/⫺ mice (Mills et al.,1999) were maintained on a C57BL/6 background as described previously (Dugani et al., 2009). p53⫺/⫺ mice (Jacks et al., 1994) were acquired
from The Jackson Laboratory, crossed with p63⫹/⫺ mice, and maintained on a C57BL/6 background. p63fl/fl mice (Mills et al., 2002) werecrossed with Rosa26RYFP/YFP reporter mice (Lagace et al., 2007) and nestin–CreERT2⫹/Ø mice (Imayoshi et al., 2008) and then maintained
through homozygous breeding pairs on a C57BL/6 background. p63fl/fl
mice were maintained through homozygous breeding pairs for neurosphere assays. For behavioral studies and neuroanatomical analyses, 1- or
2-month-old p63⫹/⫹;nestin–CreERT2⫹/Ø;Rosa26RYFP/YFP and p63fl/fl;
nestin–CreERT2⫹/Ø;Rosa26RYFP/YFP mice were injected intraperitoneallydaily with tamoxifen (180 mg/kg in sunflower oil) for 5 consecutive days,
followed by 3 weeks of rest for three rounds. Mice had access to rodent
chow and water ad libitum in a 12 h light/dark cycle room. Animals ofboth sexes were used in these studies.
Neuroanatomy. For histology and immunocytochemistry, mice were
killed with a sodium pentobarbital overdose and transcardially perfusedwith PBS, followed by 4% paraformaldehyde. p63⫹/⫺ mice, crossed or
not to p53⫺/⫺ mice, were all analyzed neuroanatomically at 3 months ofage, whereas p63fl/fl mice were all analyzed at 5 months of age, aftertamoxifen treatment. Brains were cryoprotected and sectioned at 18 ␮m.
Immunohistochemistry was performed as described previously (Cancino et al., 2008, 2013). Briefly, sections were washed with TBS buffer,permeabilized with TBS, 0.3% Triton X-100 solution, and then incubated in TBS, 5% BSA, 0.3% Triton X-100 for 1 h as a blocking solution.
Slides were incubated with primary antibodies in blocking solution at
4°C overnight. After TBS washes, the sections were incubated with secondary antibodies in blocking solution for 1 h at room temperature.
Finally, after TBS washes, sections were mounted in Permount solution(Thermo Fisher Scientific). Digital image acquisition was performed
with Axiovision software (Carl Zeiss) on a Carl Zeiss Axioplan 2 microscope with a Hamamatsu Orca-R2 CCD video camera or with Volocity(PerkinElmer Life and Analytical Sciences) software on an Olympus
IX81F-3 confocal microscope with a Hamamatsu EM-CCD video camera. Nissl staining was performed as described previously (Pozniak et al.,2002). For quantification of dentate gyrus thickness, the thickness of theupper and lower blades was measured at three different points in 20
sections per animal that spanned the rostrocaudal extent of the hippocampus. For immunocytochemical analysis of cell types in the hippocampal SGZ, serial coronal 18 ␮m sections were collected spanning
the rostrocaudal extent of the hippocampus. In all cases, for quantification, every 10th section was selected for a total of 10 representative,
matched sections per hippocampus. Every positive cell was counted onthese sections, and, to obtain the relative total number of cells in thedentate gyrus, these counts were multiplied by 10 to account for the
sampling frequency. For analysis of the SVZ, serial coronal 18 ␮m sections were collected spanning the rostrocaudal extent of the SVZ. For
quantification, every 10th section was selected for a total of 10 representative sections per SVZ, which were matched in terms of neuroanatomical level. Every positive cell was counted on these sections in all cases. For
analysis of the olfactory bulb, serial coronal 18 ␮m sections were col-Cancino et al. • p63 Regulates Adult Neural Precursor Survival

lected that spanned the rostrocaudal extent of the olfactory bulb. For
quantification, every 10th section was selected for a total of 10 matchedrepresentative sections per olfactory bulb. Every positive cell was counted
on these sections, and, to obtain the relative total number of cells in theolfactory bulb, these counts were multiplied by 10 to account for the
sampling frequency. To quantify the proportion of Sox2-positive or doublecortin (DCX)-positive cells that were also positive for cleaved
caspase-3 (CC3), TUNEL, or p63 in the dentate gyrus and SVZ, 10 sections were sampled as above and immunostained, and the total numbersof cells positive for one or both markers were counted and expressed asa percentage of double-positive/single-positive cells. Ninety to 300
double-labeled cells were counted per brain, as specified in the figurelegends. To quantify the proportion of NeuN-positive cortical neurons
that were p63 positive, five coronal sections at the level of the hippocampus, sampled every 10th serial section, were immunostained, and one
randomly selected field per section over layer III/IV of the cortex wasquantified for the number of single- and double-positive cells.
For quantification of granule cell density in the dentate gyrus, serial
18-␮m-thick coronal sections through the rostrocaudal extent of the
hippocampus were collected, and every cell in a 2500 ␮m 2 area (50 ⫻ 50␮m) was counted on every 10th section. Ten different square areas were
quantified per section. To obtain dentate gyrus area, the total length ofthe dentate gyrus, including the upper and lower blades, was measured
on every 10th section, and this was multiplied by the average dentate
gyrus thickness (described above). To obtain the number of granule cells
in the dentate gyrus, the total dentate gyrus area was multiplied by the celldensity, and then this was multiplied by 10 to account for the sampling
frequency.
BrdU labeling. For quantification of the proportion of proliferating
SGZ or SVZ neural precursors, a single injection of 100 mg/kg BrdU
(Sigma-Aldrich) was administered intraperitoneally at 3 months of age
for control and p63⫹/⫺ mice, crossed or not to p53⫺/⫺ mice. Twentyfour hours after administration, mice were killed by sodium pentobarbital overdose and transcardially perfused with PBS, followed by 4%paraformaldehyde. Brains were postfixed overnight, and the hippocampus or the SVZ was sectioned coronally on a cryostat at 18 ␮m. Ten
hippocampal or SVZ sections, sampled every 10th section, were analyzed
immunocytochemically for BrdU as described previously (Fujitani et al.,2010). For the SGZ, we quantified all BrdU-labeled nuclei in the SGZ(defined as two cell diameters beneath the granule cell layer). For the
SVZ, we quantified all BrdU-labeled nuclei. To perform the Sox2/BrdU
analysis, sections were incubated in 1N HCl at 60°C for 30 min, rinsed in
PBS, incubated in rat anti-BrdU antibody at 4°C overnight, and then in
Alexa Fluor 488 donkey anti-rat antibody for 2 h, followed by sequential
immunostaining with anti-Sox2 and by an Alexa Fluor 555-conjugateddonkey anti-mouse secondary antibody. The total numbers of Sox2positive, BrdU-positive, and double-labeled Sox2/BrdU-positive cells
were then quantified in 10 sections through the SGZ or SVZ, sampled
every 10 serial sections. To quantify adult-born hippocampal or olfactory
bulb neurons, mice were injected with 60 mg/kg BrdU intraperitoneally
every 3 h for five injections and killed 30 d later. For the p63⫹/⫺ mice,crossed or not to the p53⫺/⫺ mice, animals were injected at 2 months ofage and analyzed at 3 month of age, whereas for p63fl/fl mice, animals
were injected at 4 months of age (after the second month of tamoxifen
injection) and analyzed at 5 months. Animals were killed, and brains
were fixed and cryoprotected as above. The hippocampi or olfactory
bulbs were then cryosectioned serially at 18 ␮m throughout their rostrocaudal extent. Every 10th serial section was immunostained, for a total of
10 sections per brain. To perform immunostaining, sections were incubated in 1N HCl at 60°C for 30 min, rinsed in PBS, incubated in rat
anti-BrdU antibody at 4°C overnight, and then in Alexa Fluor 488 donkey anti-rat antibody for 2 h, followed by sequential immunostaining
with anti-NeuN and by an Alexa Fluor 555-conjugated donkey antimouse secondary antibody. The total numbers of BrdU/NeuN doublelabeled cells in the granule cell layers were counted, and, to obtain the
total number of BrdU-positive adult-born neurons, these numbers were
multiplied by 10 to account for sampling frequency.
Culture experiments. For adult SVZ neurospheres, the subependyma of
the lateral ventricle was dissected and dissociated as described previously

Cancino et al. • p63 Regulates Adult Neural Precursor Survival(Fujitani et al., 2010). Cell density and viability were determined using
trypan blue. Cells were cultured under clonal conditions at 10 cells/␮l in
six-well (2 ml/well) ultra-low attachment dishes (Corning) in serum-free
medium containing 20 ng/ml EGF (Sigma-Aldrich), 10 ng/ml FGF2
(Sigma-Aldrich), and 2 ␮g/ml heparin (Sigma-Aldrich). Cells from eachanimal were cultured individually, and triplicates were performed foreach condition and each animal. Sphere number was counted after 6 d;only colonies of at least 10 cells were counted as spheres. To assay selfrenewal, neurospheres were mechanically dissociated into single cells,
passed through a cell strainer, and cultured as for primary cultures, andspheres were counted after 4 d. For acute genetic ablation of p63 and its
isoforms, primary neurospheres 3 d after culture from the SVZ of p63fl/fl,
TAp63fl/fl, and ⌬Np63fl/fl mice were infected with 25 multiplicity of infection (M.O.I.) recombinant adenovirus (Ad5) expressing EGFP or Cre
recombinase (Vector Laboratories), and total neurosphere numbers
were quantified 3 d later. For ZVAD studies, cells were infected as above,
50 ␮M ZVAD (Z-VAD-FMK (carbobenzoxy-valyl-alanyl-aspartyl-[Omethyl]- fluoromethylketone)) was added 1 d later, and total neurosphere numbers were quantified after an additional 3 d. For the lentivirus
experiments, ⌬Np63fl/fl or p63fl/fl SVZ cells were cultured for 2 d, infectedwith 10 M.O.I. of recombinant lentivirus encoding a scrambled or previously characterized p53 shRNA (Santa Cruz Biotechnology), and theninfected again 2 d later with recombinant lentivirus expressing EGFP or
Cre recombinase. Total neurosphere numbers were quantified 3 d later.
For tamoxifen administration in vitro, tamoxifen was dissolved in DMSO
so that the final volume of DMSO was ⬃0.1% of the total volume of
medium. In all experiments, DMSO alone was used as a vehicle control.
Postnatal day 5 dentate gyrus neurospheres were cultured as described
previously (Fujitani et al., 2010). Skin-derived precursors were isolated
from the neonatal whisker pads as described previously (Biernaskie et al.,2006).
RT-PCR. RNA was extracted from samples using Trizol Reagent (Invitrogen) and was treated with DNase I (Fermentas) to remove contaminating genomic DNA. One microgram of DNase-treated RNA was thenreverse transcribed using RevertAid H Minus M-MulV Reverse Transcriptase (Fermentas) with the provided oligo-dT18 primers. This template was subsequently used for PCR with the following primers: pan-p63
forward, 5⬘-GACCGGAAGGCAGATGAAGACAG-3⬘; pan-p63 reverse,
5⬘-TGTTTCTGAAGTAGGTGCTGGTGC-3⬘;⌬Np63forward,5⬘-GGAA
AACAATGCCCAGACTC-3⬘;⌬Np63reverse,5⬘-GATGGAGAGAGGGC
ATCAAA-3⬘; TAp63 forward, 5⬘-AACCCCAGCTCATTTCTCGT-3⬘;
TAp63 reverse, 5⬘-GGCCCGGGTAATCTGTGTTGG-3⬘; GAPDH forward, 5⬘-ACGGCAAGTTCAATGGCACAGTCA-3⬘; GAPDH reverse;
5⬘-GCTTTCCAGAGGGGCCATCCACAG-3⬘;p73forward,5⬘-CCTGTC
ATCCCTTCCAATACC-3⬘;p73reverse,5⬘-ACAACCACACTCTGCCTT
C-3⬘; p53 forward, 5⬘-GCAGTCTGGGACAGCCAAG-3⬘; p53 reverse,
5⬘-GGTAAGGATAGGTCGGCGG-3⬘; PUMA forward, 5⬘-TGGGTGCA
CTGATGGAGATA-3⬘;andPUMAreverse,5⬘-AACCTATGCAATGGGATGGA-3⬘. For p63␣/␤/␥, a common forward primer was used (5⬘-AAGAGACCGGAAGGCAGATGAAG-3⬘), with isoform-specific reverse
primers as follows: p63␣ reverse, 5⬘-ACGGGGTGGAAAAGAGATGG
TC-3⬘; p63␤ reverse, 5⬘-GACTTGCCAAATCCTGACA-3⬘; and p63␥ reverse, 5⬘-CTCCCCGGGGCTCCACAAG-3⬘. All products were single
bands of the expected molecular weight.
Quantitative PCR. RNA was extracted and cDNA was synthesized as
described above. Taqman Gene Expression Master Mix (Applied Biosystems) was used along with Taqman probes designed against the murine
Bbc3 (PUMA) mRNA sequence (Mm00519268_ml) or GAPDH mRNA
(Mm99999915_gl). GAPDH mRNA was analyzed for each sample andused for comparison as an endogenous control for equal sample. All
reactions were run in at least duplicate, and cDNA made from 25 ng ofstarting RNA template was used for each reaction. The PCR was run
according to the instructions of the manufacturer, and data were quantified using the ABI Prism 7900HT Real-Time PCR system (Applied
Biosystems) and SDS (Sequence Detection System) version 2.4 software(Applied Biosystems).
Hidden-platform water maze. Before training, mice were handled for 2
min/d for 5 d. The circular water-maze tank (120 cm diameter, 50 cmdeep), filled to 40 cm depth with water made opaque by nontoxic white

J. Neurosci., July 31, 2013 • 33(31):12569 –12585 • 12571

paint, was located in a dimly lit room (Teixeira et al., 2006; Maei et al.,2009; Yiu et al., 2011). Water temperature was maintained at 28 ⫾ 1°C. A
circular (5 cm radius) platform was submerged 1 cm below the water
surface and in a fixed position throughout training. The pool was surrounded by white curtains painted with distinct cues, 1 m from the pool
perimeter. Mice received two blocks of three trials per day, for 6 training
days. At the start of each trial, mice were placed in the pool, facing the wallin one of the quadrants (north, east, south, or west). The trial was complete once the mouse found the platform or 60 s had elapsed. If the mouse
failed to find the platform, it was guided by the experimenter onto theplatform. After each training trial, the mouse was allowed 15 s on top of
the platform. On day 1, 4 d before training sessions, and on day 7 whentraining was complete, spatial memory was assessed in a probe test during which the platform was removed from the pool and the mouse wasallowed 60 s to search. Behavioral data from the training and probe trials
were acquired and analyzed using an automated tracking system (ActiMetrics; WaterMaze). For the training data, we analyzed the escapelatency and swim speed. In the probe test, the amount of time mice spentin the target zone (20 cm radius, centered on the location of the platform
during training; 11% of the pool surface) versus the average time spent in
the three other equivalently sized zones located in the other quadrants ofthe pool was measured (Moser et al., 1993; Moser and Moser, 1998; deHoz et al., 2004). This is a sensitive measure of spatial memory.
Cued-platform water maze. Mice were trained as above (for 6 d), but
the position of the platform changed for each training trial and was madevisible. A red cylindrical object was placed 7 cm above the 5-cm-radius
platform, which was submerged 1 cm below the water surface (as above).
Two blocks of three trials were given during each training day. The time
to reach the platform across training days was measured using the ActiMetrics WaterMaze software.
Standard context fear conditioning. During training, mice were placedin the training context. Two minutes later, a tone (80 dB, 2.8 kHz, 30 s)that coterminated with a footshock (0.6 mA intensity, 2 s) was delivered.
Mice were returned to their home cages 1 min later. Twenty-four hours
after the training session, mice were returned into the training context,
and the percentage of time spent freezing for 3 min was assessed as ameasure of standard context fear conditioning.
Context preexposure fear conditioning. Mice were trained as described
previously (Frankland et al., 2004). Mice were randomly divided into
preexposure (PE) and non-preexposure (NPE) groups. Mice in the PE
group were individually placed in the conditioning chamber for 10 min.
No shocks were delivered in this phase of the experiment. Mice in the
NPE group remained in the home cage. Twenty-four hours later, all mice
were placed in the conditioning context and, 5 s later, received an immediate footshock (2 s, 1.0 mA). Twenty-four hours after immediate shock
training, mice were placed in conditioning context and freezing was assessed for a 3 min period. During this period, no shock was presented.
Open field. Mice are individually placed in a 50 ⫻ 50 ⫻ 25 cm openfield chamber for 15 min to assess locomotor and anxiety-like behavior.
ActiMetrics Limelight program is a video tracker system that records thepaths of animals while performing a task in a box. This program was used
to analyze the distance traveled, locomotion speed, and amount of timethe mice spent in respective zones (outer, middle, and center) of the box.
Antibodies. For immunostaining, the primary antibodies used weremouse anti-p63 (1:200), mouse anti-NeuN (1:500; Millipore Bioscience Research Reagents), Alexa Fluor 488-conjugated mouse anti-NeuN (1:100;
Millipore), rat anti-BrdU (1:200; Accurate Chemical), rabbit anti-Sox2 (1:200; Cell Signaling Technology), goat anti-Sox2 (1:50; Santa Cruz Biotechnology), rabbit anti-GFAP (1:1000; Dako), goat anti-DCX (1:200; Santa
Cruz Biotechnology), rabbit anti-CC3 (1:500; Cell Signaling Technology),
chicken anti-nestin (1:1000; Aves Labs), and chicken anti-GFP (1:1000; Millipore). The secondary antibodies used for immunostaining were Alexa
Fluor 555-conjugated donkey anti-mouse and anti-rabbit IgG (1:1000; Invitrogen), Alexa Fluor 488-conjugated donkey anti-mouse and anti-rabbit
IgG (1:1000; Invitrogen), Alexa Fluor 488-conjugated chicken anti-rat IgG(1:1000; Invitrogen), and Cy3-conjugated donkey anti-goat antibody (1:1000; Jackson ImmunoResearch).
Statistical analyses. Statistics were performed using two-tailed Student’s t test unless otherwise indicated. To analyze the data from theCancino et al. • p63 Regulates Adult Neural Precursor Survival

12572 • J. Neurosci., July 31, 2013 • 33(31):12569 –12585

B

C

TAp63

p63α

∆Np63

p63β

GAPDH

p63γ

p63WT

OB Hipp Crb Ctx Skin

OB Hipp Crb Ctx Skin SKP

GAPDH

D

p63/Hoechst

p63KO

A

E
NeuN

p63/NeuN

p63

p63/Sox2

Sox2

CA1

p63

CA3

DG

DG

DG

F
GFAP

p63/GFAP

DG

p63

DG

G

DG

DG

H
DG NS Skin H2O

DG NS Skin H2O
TAp63

p63α

∆Np63

p63β

GAPDH

p63γ
GAPDH

I

J

K
80
60

350000

*
*

40
20
0

p63 p63 p63 p63
WT HET WT HET
Upper
Lower

DG cell numbers

DG thickness (µm)

p63HET

p63WT

100

300000**25000020000015000010000050000
0p63 p63
WT HET

Figure 1. Expression of p63 in precursors and neurons of the adult hippocampus. A, B, RT-PCR analysis for TAp63 and ⌬Np63 mRNA (A) or mRNAs encoding the C-terminal splice variants p63␣,␤, and ␥ (B) in total RNA from the adult murine olfactory bulb (OB), hippocampus (Hipp), cerebellum (Crb), and cortex (Ctx). Postnatal day 1 skin (Skin) and cultured dermal skin-derived precursors(SKP) were used as controls because skin expresses mRNAs for all of the p63 isoforms, whereas skin-derived precursors express TAp63 but not ⌬Np63 mRNA (Su et al., 2009). The same samples werealso analyzed for GAPDH mRNA. C, Micrographs of embryonic day 17 cortical sections from p63⫹/⫹ (p63WT) and p63⫺/⫺ (p63KO) mice, immunostained with a pan-p63 antibody (red) andcounterstained with Hoechst 33258 (blue) to show nuclei. Images are from the cortical plate, which contains newborn neurons. The right column shows the boxed regions in the left column at higher
magnification. Scale bar, 25 ␮m. D, Micrographs of coronal sections through the CA1 (top), CA3 (middle), and dentate gyrus (bottom) regions of the adult murine hippocampus immunostained forp63 (red) and the neuronal marker NeuN (green; the right column show the merge). Tissue was counterstained with Hoechst (blue) to show nuclei. Scale bar, 25 ␮m. E, F, High-magnification imagesof the SGZ of the dentate gyrus immunostained for p63 (red) and Sox2 (green, E) or GFAP (green, F ). Sections were counterstained with Hoechst (blue) to show nuclei. Arrows denote double-labeledcells. Scale bars, 25 ␮m. G, H, RT-PCR analysis for TAp63 and ⌬Np63 mRNA (G) or mRNAs encoding the C-terminal splice variants p63␣, ␤, and ␥ (H ) in total RNA from the adult murine dentate
gyrus (DG) and neurospheres derived from the postnatal day 5 dentate gyrus (NS). I, Micrographs of coronal sections of 3-month-old p63⫹/⫹ (p63WT) and p63⫹/⫺ (p63HET) mice at the level of the
hippocampus. Scale bar, 250 ␮m. The right columns show higher-magnification images of the upper and lower dentate gyrus blades as indicated in the boxed areas (Figure legend continues.)Cancino et al. • p63 Regulates Adult Neural Precursor Survival

behavioral tasks and from the multi-group neuroanatomical studies, weused one-way ANOVA unless otherwise indicated. Significant interactions or main effects were further analyzed using Newman–Keuls post hoc
tests. All tests were performed using Prism 5 (GraphPad Software) or
Statistica. In all cases, error bars indicate SEM.

Results
Haploinsufficiency for p63 causes deficits in hippocampal
NPCs and adult-born neurons
We first asked about p63 expression in the hippocampus, one oftwo sites of adult neurogenesis in the mammalian brain. RT-PCR
analysis showed that both TAp63 and truncated ⌬Np63 mRNAs
were expressed in the hippocampus, olfactory bulb, cerebellum,and cortex (Fig. 1A). Moreover, of the p63 C-terminal variants
generated by alternative splicing, p63␣ and p63␥ but not p63␤mRNAs were expressed in these same regions (Fig. 1B). To ask
which hippocampal cell types expressed p63, we performed immunocytochemistry with a well-characterized pan-p63 antibody(4A4) after first confirming that it immunostained cells in thecortex of p63⫹/⫹ but not p63⫺/⫺ embryos (Fig. 1C). We observed
broad p63 immunoreactivity in NeuN-positive hippocampal
neurons (Fig. 1D). Furthermore, p63 immunoreactivity was detected in the SGZ of the dentate gyrus in NeuN-negative cells that
coexpressed the neural precursor markers Sox2 (Fig. 1E) and
GFAP (Fig. 1F ). Quantification showed that ⬃37% of Sox2positive precursors expressed detectable p63. To confirm that
p63 is expressed by hippocampal precursors, we cultured neonatal dentate gyrus precursors as neurospheres and performed RTPCR; these neurospheres expressed ⌬Np63 but not detectable
TAp63 (Fig. 1G), and of the C-terminal variants, they expressedp63␥ (Fig. 1H ).
We next asked whether p63 was functionally important in the
hippocampus. Because p63⫺/⫺ mice die at birth (Mills et al.,1999), we examined p63⫹/⫺ mice and asked whether there wereany obvious deficits in hippocampal structure. Nissl staining
demonstrated that overall hippocampal morphology was normal
in the p63⫹/⫺ mice but that there was a statistically significant
decrease in thickness of the upper and lower blades of the dentate
gyrus relative to their p63⫹/⫹ littermates (Fig. 1 I, J ). To ask
whether this reflected a decrease in neurons, we measured thedensity of granule neurons and total dentate gyrus area. Quantification of 10 sections sampled throughout the rostrocaudal extent of the hippocampus showed that granule neuron density was
similar in mice of both genotypes ( p63⫹/⫹ cell density, 0.0199 ⫾0.0005 cells per ␮m 2; p63⫹/⫺ cell density, 0.0193 ⫾ 0.0015 cells
per ␮m 2; p ⬎ 0.05) but that there was a decrease in total dentate
gyrus area ( p63⫹/⫹ area, 156,612 ⫾ 2052 ␮m 2; p63⫹/⫺ area,
131,432 ⫾ 2796 ␮m 2; p ⫽ 0.0019), and thus total number of
granule neurons (Fig. 1K ), in p63⫹/⫺ mice.
One cellular perturbation that can result in fewer dentate
gyrus neurons is decreased adult neurogenesis. Therefore, we
asked whether p63 haploinsufficiency affected hippocampal
NPCs. Initially, we characterized the number of proliferating precursors in the dentate gyrus by administering BrdU to 3-month4(Figure legend continued.) in the left column. Scale bar, 100 ␮m. J, Quantification of themean thickness of the upper and lower blades of the dentate gyrus (in micrometers) as determined from sections similar to those in I. *p ⬍ 0.05; n ⫽ 3 animals per group. K, Quantificationof total dentate gyrus granule cell numbers in p63WT versus p63HET mice as determined bymeasuring neuronal density and total dentate gyrus area in 10 sections spanning the rostrocaudal extent of the hippocampus similar to those in I. **p ⬍ 0.01; n ⫽ 3 animals per group. In all
panels, error bars denote SEM.

J. Neurosci., July 31, 2013 • 33(31):12569 –12585 • 12573

old p63⫹/⫺ mice. Immunostaining (Fig. 2A) and quantitative
analysis 1 d after BrdU administration showed an almost twofold
decrease in the number of BrdU-positive SGZ precursors in
p63⫹/⫺ mice (Fig. 2B). To ask whether this phenotype reflected adecrease in hippocampal precursors, we quantified the numberof cells expressing the pan-precursor marker Sox2. Like the BrdU
data, this analysis demonstrated a significant decrease in NPCs in
p63⫹/⫺ mice (Fig. 2C). Moreover, quantification of the proportion of Sox2-positive cells that were also BrdU positive demonstrated that there was a decrease in total double-labeled cells in
p63⫹/⫺ mice (Fig. 2D). However, the proliferation index (theproportion of total Sox2-positive cells that were also BrdUpositive) was similar in both groups [12.6% in wild type (WT)
mice vs 11.9% in p63⫹/⫺ mice], suggesting that p63 haploinsufficiency causes a decrease in hippocampal NPCs but that it does
not affect their rate of proliferation.
To ask whether this decrease in SGZ NPCs in p63⫹/⫺ mice wascoincident with a decrease in the number of adult-born neurons,
we administered BrdU and then analyzed BrdU-positive dentate
gyrus neurons 30 d later by immunostaining for BrdU and theneuronal marker NeuN (Fig. 2E). Quantification showed that thedentate gyrus of p63⫹/⫹ mice contained 1537 ⫾ 23 total BrdUpositive cells, and, of these, 1460 ⫾ 36, or ⬃90 –95%, were double
labeled for NeuN. In contrast, the dentate gyrus of p63⫹/⫺ micecontained 960 ⫾ 10 total BrdU-positive cells, and, of these, 863 ⫾37, or 90 –95%, were NeuN positive. Thus, although the ratio of
BrdU-positive cells that were NeuN positive was similar in both
genotypes, p63⫹/⫺ mice had ⬃40% fewer adult-born hippocampal neurons than did their WT p63⫹/⫹ littermates (Fig. 2F ). Immunostaining for DCX (Fig. 2G), which is transiently expressedin newborn neurons, supported this conclusion, because quantification showed that the number of DCX-positive cells was also
decreased in p63⫹/⫺ mice (Fig. 2H ).
These data suggest that p63 is essential to maintain normal
numbers of hippocampal NPCs and adult-born neurons. To ask
whether p63 does this by promoting cell survival, we immunostained hippocampal sections from 3-month-old mice for the
apoptotic protein CC3 and either the precursor marker Sox2
(Fig. 2I ) or the newborn neuron marker DCX (Fig. 2K ). Quantification of total double-labeled cells on 10 sections sampledthroughout the rostrocaudal extent of the hippocampus showedthat ⬃13% of Sox2-positive SGZ cells were also positive for CC3
in the p63⫹/⫹ dentate gyrus and that this doubled to ⬃26% in
p63⫹/⫺ mice (Fig. 2J ). Similarly, although ⬃12% of WT newborn
neurons were CC3 positive, this was almost doubled in p63⫹/⫺
mice (Fig. 2L). To confirm this apoptotic phenotype, we performed TUNEL assays for DNA fragmentation resulting from
apoptosis on similar sections (Fig. 2M ). Approximately 8% of
WT Sox2-positive cells were TUNEL positive, and this was increased almost threefold in the p63⫹/⫺ dentate gyrus (Fig. 2N ).
Thus, haploinsufficiency for p63 causes a decrease in neural precursors and newly born neurons, at least in part as a consequenceof enhanced apoptosis.
p63 also regulates the number of adult forebrain NPCs andadult-born olfactory neurons
To assess whether p63 generally regulates the numbers of adultneural precursors and adult-born neurons, we examined NPCs of
the forebrain SVZ that generate new interneurons for the adultolfactory bulb. Initially, we characterized p63 expression. RTPCR demonstrated that both TAp63 and ⌬Np63 mRNAs wereexpressed, as were the mRNAs for the p63␣ and p63␥ isoforms(Fig. 3 A, B). We also analyzed SVZ precursors that had been cul-Cancino et al. • p63 Regulates Adult Neural Precursor Survival

12574 • J. Neurosci., July 31, 2013 • 33(31):12569 –12585

**

1500
1000
500

1250

**

500
250

p63 p63
WT HET

p63WT

15
10
5

N
TUNEL+,Sox2+/total
Sox2+ cells (%)

16000
14000

p63 p63
WT HET

12000

**

10000
8000
6000
4000
2000
0

p63 p63
WT HET

L
CC3/DCX

p63HET

CC3+,Sox2+/total
Sox2+ cells (%)

p63WTp63HET

**

20

0

p63WT
p63HET

25

p63 p63
WT HET

H

K
30

SGZ

0

p63 p63
WT HET

750

J

Sox2/TUNEL

200

DCX+ cells

BrdU+,NeuN+ cells

p63WT
p63HET

1500

CC3/Sox2

M

400

DCX

1750

1000

*

600

G

0

I

800

30

CC3+,DCX+/total
DCX+ cells (%)

BrdU/NeuN

2000

p63 p63
WT HET

F

*

4000

0

0

E

6000

p63WT

p63HET

SGZ

2000

1000

8000

p63HET

SGZ

2500

SGZ Sox2+ cells

p63WT

BrdU

D

C

BrdU+,Sox2+ cells

B
SGZ BrdU+ cells

A

25

**

20
15
10
5
0

p63 p63
WT HET

30
25

***

20
15
10
5
0

p63 p63
WT HET

Figure 2. Adult NPCs and adult-born neurons are reduced in the SGZ of 3-month-old p63⫹/⫺ mice. A, Coronal sections through the SGZ of the p63⫹/⫹ (p63WT) and p63⫹/⫺ (p63HET) dentate
gyrus immunostained for BrdU (green) 1 d after BrdU injection. The dotted line denotes the boundary between the blade of the dentate gyrus and the hilus, and arrows denote positive cells. Scalebar, 50 ␮m. B, Quantification of the total number of BrdU-positive SGZ cells as determined by counting 10 sections spanning the rostrocaudal extent of the hippocampus similar to those seen in A.
**p ⬍ 0.01; n ⫽ 3 animals each. C, Quantification of the total number of Sox2-positive cells in the SGZ of adult p63⫹/⫹ (p63WT) and p63⫹/⫺ (p63HET) mice determined as in B. *p ⬍ 0.05; n ⫽3 animals each. D, Quantification of the total number of BrdU-positive, Sox2-positive cells in the SGZ of adult p63⫹/⫹ (p63WT) and p63⫹/⫺ (p63HET) mice determined as in B. *p ⬍ 0.05; n ⫽ 3
animals each. E, Micrographs of coronal sections through the dentate gyrus of p63⫹/⫹ (p63WT) and p63⫹/⫺ (p63HET) mice that were injected with BrdU at 2 months (Figure legend continues.)Cancino et al. • p63 Regulates Adult Neural Precursor Survival

tured as neurospheres; RT-PCR showed that, like the dentate
gyrus neurospheres, SVZ neurospheres expressed ⌬Np63 but notdetectable TAp63 mRNA (Fig. 3 A, B). To confirm that SVZ neural precursors expressed p63, we immunostained coronal corticalsections at the level of the SVZ from 3-month-old mice with
anti-pan-p63 and either anti-NeuN (Fig. 3C) or antibodies forthe adult precursor markers nestin (Fig. 3D), GFAP (Fig. 3E), or
Sox2 (data not shown). p63 immunoreactivity was detectable inmost NeuN-positive cortical neurons. For example, ⬃96% ofcortical neurons in layers III/IV expressed detectable p63 immunoreactivity. Moreover, p63 was detectable in many SVZ cells
that expressed nestin, GFAP, or Sox2. Quantification showed that
⬃32% of Sox2-positive SVZ cells expressed detectable p63.
To ask whether p63 haploinsufficiency regulated the number ofadult-born olfactory neurons, we treated 2-month-old p63⫹/⫺ andp63⫹/⫹ mice with BrdU and, 30 d later, sectioned the entiretyof the olfactory bulb and quantified the number of BrdU-positive,
NeuN-positive neurons (Fig. 3F). This analysis demonstrated a 40%
decrease in adult-born olfactory neurons in p63⫹/⫺ mice (Fig. 3G).
To ask whether there were also changes in neural precursors, we
treated 3-month-old mice with BrdU and 1 d later sectioned the SVZ
and quantified the proportion of Sox2-positive precursors in the
SVZ that were BrdU positive (Fig. 3H). Quantification of the total
number of double-labeled cells in 10 sections sampled throughout
the SVZ showed that there was an ⬃20% decrease in proliferating
Sox2-positive neural precursors in the p63⫹/⫺ SVZ (Fig. 3I). To ask
whether this reflected a decrease in total SVZ precursors, we dissected the SVZ and cultured the cells under clonal neurosphere conditions (Fig. 3J); the p63⫹/⫺ SVZ contained approximately half as
many neurosphere-initiating cells as did the p63⫹/⫹ SVZ (Fig. 3K).
To ask whether this decrease in proliferating neural precursors
might be attributable, in part, to increased apoptosis, as seen in the
SGZ, we immunostained 10 sections through the SVZ for Sox2 andeither CC3 immunostaining or TUNEL staining and determined the
proportion of double-labeled cells (Fig. 3L,N). This analysis demonstrated a significant twofold increase in the proportion of Sox2positive cells that were positive for either CC3 or TUNEL (Fig.
3M,O), consistent with enhanced precursor death.
Acute conditional deletion of p63 in adult neural precursors
causes apoptosis and depletion of precursor pools
To ask whether these deficits in neural precursors and adult-bornneurons in p63⫹/⫺ mice reflected a cell-autonomous require4(Figure legend continued.) of age and analyzed 1 month later at 3 months, immunostainedfor BrdU (green) and NeuN (red). The insets show double-labeled cells at higher magnification.
Scale bar, 100 ␮m. F, Quantification of the total number of BrdU-positive, NeuN-positive granule cells in the dentate gyrus, determined by counting 10 sections similar to those in E spanning
the rostrocaudal extent of the hippocampus. **p ⬍ 0.01; n ⫽ 3 animals each. G, Micrographsof coronal sections through the p63⫹/⫹ (p63WT) and p63⫹/⫺ (p63HET) dentate gyrus, immunostained for DCX (red). Arrows denote DCX-positive cells. Scale bar, 100 ␮m. H, Quantificationof the total number of DCX-positive newborn neurons in the dentate gyrus, determined bycounting 10 sections similar to those in G spanning the rostrocaudal extent of the hippocampus.
**p ⬍ 0.01; n ⫽ 3 animals each. I–L, Coronal sections through the p63⫹/⫹ (p63WT) andp63⫹/⫺ (p63HET) SGZ were immunostained for CC3 (red, I, K) and Sox2 (green, I) or DCX(green, K), and the total number of double-positive cells were determined by counting 10
sections sampled throughout the rostrocaudal extent of the hippocampus (J, L). In I and K,
sections were counterstained with Hoechst (blue), and arrows denote double-labeled cells.
**p ⬍ 0.01; n ⫽ 3 animals each; 80 –374 total double-labeled cells per hippocampus werecounted. Scale bar, 50 ␮m. M, N, Coronal sections through the p63⫹/⫹ (p63WT) and p63⫹/⫺(p63HET) SGZ were sampled as in I and K, immunostained for TUNEL (green) and Sox2 (red) (M),and double-positive cells were quantified (N). Arrow denotes a double-labeled cell. ***p ⬍0.001; n ⫽ 3 animals each; 60 –116 total double-labeled cells per hippocampus were counted.
Scale bar, 50 ␮m. In all panels, error bars denote SEM.

J. Neurosci., July 31, 2013 • 33(31):12569 –12585 • 12575

ment for p63, we acutely ablated p63 in adult neural precursors.
p63fl/fl mice (Mills et al., 2002) were crossed to mice carrying anestin–CreERT2 transgene (Imayoshi et al., 2008) and a floxed
YFP reporter gene in the Rosa26 locus (Lagace et al., 2007) tomonitor successful Cre-mediated recombination. We thentreated 2-month-old p63fl/fl;nestin–CreERT2⫹/Ø;Rosa26RYFP/YFP
mice with tamoxifen to inducibly delete p63. p63⫹/⫹;nestin–CreERT2⫹/Ø;Rosa26RYFP/YFP mice were used as controls. Bothgroups of mice were treated for three cycles of tamoxifen treatment (five daily injections followed by 3 weeks with no tamoxifen), and mice were examined neuroanatomically at 5 months ofage. To confirm that this protocol resulted in inducible Cremediated recombination in adult neural precursors, as reported
previously (Imayoshi et al., 2008; Arruda-Carvalho et al., 2011),
we examined YFP immunostaining in coronal sections at thelevel of the hippocampus. Quantification of total YFP-positive
cells in 10 sections spanning the rostrocaudal extent of the hippocampus demonstrated that YFP-positive cells were present in
the SGZ, consistent with previous studies using this nestin–CreERT2 mouse line (Imayoshi et al., 2008; Arruda-Carvalho et al.,2011) but that they were decreased by almost half in p63fl/fl;nestin–CreERT2⫹/Ø;Rosa26RYFP/YFP mice relative to controls (Fig.
4 A, B). To determine whether this reflected a decrease in YFPpositive precursors and/or neurons, we performed doublelabeled immunostaining. Analysis of total double-labeled cells in
10 hippocampal sections demonstrated a 50% decrease in YFPpositive SGZ precursors that expressed Sox2 (Fig. 4C) or GFAP
(Fig. 4D) and in dentate gyrus neurons that coexpressed DCX(Fig. 4E) or NeuN (Fig. 4F ). To confirm that these numbers
reflected a decrease in precursors and neurons, and not just alterations in YFP expression, we counted total Sox2-positive and
DCX-positive cells in 10 similar sections of the SGZ. Both precursors and newborn neurons were significantly decreased in thedentate gyrus of p63fl/fl;nestin–CreERT2⫹/Ø;Rosa26RYFP/YFP micerelative to p63⫹/⫹;nestin–CreERT2⫹/Ø;Rosa26RYFP/YFP controls(Fig. 4G,H ). We also quantified the total number of new neurons
by injecting these mice with BrdU at 4 months of age and analyzing
total BrdU-positive, NeuN-positive granule cells 1 month later at 5
months; analysis of 10 sections sampled throughout the hippocampus demonstrated that adult-born neurons were decreased by⬃40% in the p63fl/fl;nestin–CreERT2⫹/Ø;Rosa26RYFP/YFP mice
(Fig. 4I ).
These data indicate that genetic ablation of p63 in adult hippocampal neural precursors and their adult-born progeny ultimately causes decreases in both cell populations. To ask whether
this was also true for the SVZ, we examined YFP immunostaining
in coronal sections at the level of the lateral ventricles of thesesame two groups of mice. We observed many YFP-positive cells
in the SVZ and rostral migratory stream of both genotypes, butthere were apparently fewer YFP-positive cells in the p63fl/fl;nestin–CreERT2⫹/Ø;Rosa26RYFP/YFP SVZ (Fig. 4J ). To confirm that
this reflected a decrease in SVZ precursors, we dissected the SVZ
and cultured the cells under clonal neurosphere conditions. The
SVZ of p63fl/fl;nestin–CreERT2⫹/Ø;Rosa26RYFP/YFP mice contained less than half as many neurosphere-initiating cells (Fig.
4K ). To ask whether there was also a decrease in adult-bornneurons, we injected both groups of mice with BrdU at 4 monthsof age and analyzed the olfactory bulb 1 month later at 5 months.
Immunostaining and quantification of 10 sections spanning theentirety of the olfactory bulb showed that p63fl/fl;nestin–CreERT2⫹/Ø;Rosa26RYFP/YFP mice had only approximately half as
many BrdU-positive, NeuN-positive adult-born neurons as did
p63⫹/⫹;nestin–CreERT2⫹/Ø;Rosa26RYFP/YFP controls (Fig. 4L).

Cancino et al. • p63 Regulates Adult Neural Precursor Survival

12576 • J. Neurosci., July 31, 2013 • 33(31):12569 –12585

B

A

SVZ NSSSKPSVZ NS

C

S

p63

TAp63

p63α

∆Np63

p63β

p63/NeuN

NeuN

p63γ
GAPDH
GAPDH

E
p63

Nestinp63/Nestin

LV

LV

LV

1000

***

100
50
0

p63 p63
WT HET

p63WT

LV

35
30
25

*

20
15
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WT HET

M
CC3/Sox2

200

p63WT

1º neurospheres
per 20,000 cells

p63HET

LV

LV

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12

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8
6
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p63 p63
WT HETO
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TUNEL+,Sox2+/total
Sox2+ cells (%)

N

p63 p63
WT HET

L

250

150

LV

2000

p63HETK
p63WT

SVZ neurospheres

***

3000

GCL

J

p63WT

4000

0
GCL

p63HET

5000

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BrdU/Sox2

CC3+,Sox2+/total
Sox2+ cells (%)

p63HET

GCL

H

LV

LV

p63HET

BrdU+,NeuN+ cells

GCL

p63/GFAPLV

G 6000Olfactory bulb
BrdU/NeuN

p63WT

F

GFAP

p63

BrdU+,Sox2+/total
Sox2+ cells (%)

D

14
12
10

*

8
6
4
2
0

p63 p63
WT HET

Figure 3. p63 haploinsufficiency causes decreased SVZ NPCs and decreased adult-born olfactory neurons in 3-month-old mice. A, B, RT-PCR analysis for TAp63 and ⌬Np63 mRNA (A) or mRNAs
encoding the C-terminal splice variants p63␣, ␤, and ␥ (B) in total RNA from the adult SVZ or from cultured adult SVZ neurospheres (NS). Postnatal day 1 skin (S) and cultured dermal skin-derived
precursors (SKP) were used as controls because skin expresses mRNAs for all of the p63 isoforms, whereas SKPs express TAp63 but not ⌬Np63 mRNA. The same samples were also analyzed for GAPDH
mRNA. C, Micrographs of a coronal cortical section immunostained for p63 (red) and NeuN (green; the far right panel is the merge). The section was counterstained with Hoechst (blue). Scale bar,
50 ␮m. D, E, Micrographs of coronal sections through the SVZ immunostained for p63 (red) and nestin (green, D) or GFAP (green, E). Sections were counterstained with Hoechst 33258 (blue). LV
denotes the lateral ventricle and arrows double-labeled cells. Scale bar, 25 ␮m. F, Micrographs of coronal sections through the p63⫹/⫹ (p63WT) and p63⫹/⫺ (p63HET) olfactory bulb 30 d after BrdU
injection, immunostained for BrdU (green) and NeuN (red). The boxed areas in the left column are shown at higher magnification in the right column. Arrows denote double-labeled cells. Scale bar,
200 ␮m. G, Quantification of the total number of BrdU-positive, NeuN-positive olfactory bulb neurons, as determined by analyzing 10 sections spanning the extent of the (Figure legend continues.)Cancino et al. • p63 Regulates Adult Neural Precursor Survival

The ⌬Np63 isoform promotes survival of adult neuralprecursors via a p53 and PUMA-dependent mechanism
Together, these data indicate that genetic ablation of p63 in adultneural precursors causes depletion of precursors and newborn
neurons and that it likely does so, at least in part, by causing cell
death. To confirm this conclusion and to ask about the underlying cellular mechanisms, we turned to culture studies, focusing
on adult SVZ precursors, which can be cultured as neurospheres.
Initially, we performed experiments to definitively test the idea thatp63 was essential for adult neural precursor survival by culturing
SVZ neurospheres from nestin–CreERT2⫹/Ø;Rosa26RYFP/YFP micethat were either p63fl/fl or p63⫹/⫹ but that had not been treated withtamoxifen in vivo. These neurospheres were passaged, various concentrations of tamoxifen were added to the cultures 2 d later, andcells were immunostained for YFP and CC3 after an additional 2 d inculture (Fig. 5A). The activation of Cre recombinase by tamoxifen
addition in culture resulted in apoptosis of more than half the YFPpositive p63fl/fl but not p63⫹/⫹ neurosphere cells, and this effect wasdose dependent (Fig. 5B).
These results show an ongoing requirement for p63 in survivalof adult neural precursors. To ask which p63 isoforms were necessary for neural precursor survival, we expressed Cre recombinase in cultured SVZ cells from mice carrying floxed alleles of
p63, TAp63, or ⌬Np63 (Mills et al., 2002; Su et al., 2009). SVZ
cells were cultured and transduced with recombinant adenovirus
expressing EGFP or Cre recombinase, and neurosphere numbers
were quantified. When p63⫹/⫹ cultures were transduced witheither EGFP or Cre recombinase, neurosphere numbers weresimilar to control, nontransduced cultures (Fig. 5C). Similarly,
the number of neurospheres generated from p63fl/fl cells was unaffected by transduction with EGFP (Fig. 5D). However, when
p63fl/fl cultures were transduced with Cre recombinase, neurosphere numbers were reduced by twofold (Fig. 5D), as predictedby the tamoxifen experiment (Fig. 5 A, B). A similar reduction inneurosphere number was observed when ⌬Np63fl/fl, but not
TAp63fl/fl, cultures were transduced with Cre recombinase adenovirus versus EGFP adenovirus (Fig. 5 E, F ), indicating that the⌬Np63 isoform was responsible for maintaining precursor survival. To confirm that the decrease in neurosphere number seen
after acute ablation of ⌬Np63 was attributable to cell death, we
performed similar experiments with and without the addition of
the pan-caspase inhibitor ZVAD. Acute ablation of ⌬Np63 withCre recombinase caused a significant decrease in neurospheres,and this was rescued by ZVAD (Fig. 5G). Thus, ⌬Np63 is essential
for survival of cultured adult SVZ neural precursors.

J. Neurosci., July 31, 2013 • 33(31):12569 –12585 • 12577

4

One way ⌬Np63 regulates survival is by antagonizing p53(Yang and McKeon, 2000), and p53 has been shown to cause
apoptosis of adult SVZ neural precursors (Meletis et al., 2006). To
ask whether ⌬Np63 promotes precursor survival by antagonizing
p53, we used a lentivirus expressing p53 shRNA to suppress p53
levels. Initially, we confirmed the efficacy of this shRNA; WTneurospheres were transduced with lentiviruses expressing either
scrambled or p53 shRNAs, and then 4 d later, we performed
RT-PCR for p53 mRNA or, as controls, p63, p73, and GAPDHmRNAs. The p53 shRNA reduced the levels of p53 mRNA without affecting those of the other family members (Fig. 5H ). Having confirmed the efficacy of this shRNA, we asked whether
coincident knockdown of p53 could rescue the enhanced cell
death seen when ⌬Np63 was genetically ablated. Specifically, wetransduced ⌬Np63⫹/⫹ and ⌬Np63fl/fl SVZ cells with a Cre recombinase lentivirus with or without the p53 shRNA lentivirus andquantified neurosphere number 6 d later. As seen in the adenovirus experiments, transduction with Cre recombinase significantly reduced the number of neurospheres generated from
⌬Np63fl/fl (Fig. 5I ), but not ⌬Np63⫹/⫹, cells (data not shown).
Moreover, coincident transduction with p53 shRNA significantly
rescued this decrease (Fig. 5I ). Thus, ⌬Np63 promotes the maintenance of normal numbers of adult neural precursors, and it
does this, at least in part, by antagonizing p53.
Previous work has shown that the BH3-only pro-apoptotic
protein PUMA acts downstream of p53 in several adult stem cell
populations (Liu et al., 2010). To ask whether PUMA is also
involved in the cell death that occurs in response to decreased p63
levels, we cultured neurospheres from the SVZ of adult p63⫹/⫹
versus p63⫹/⫺ mice and performed quantitative real-time PCR
for PUMA mRNA. This analysis demonstrated that PUMAmRNA levels were significantly upregulated in p63⫹/⫺ neurospheres (Fig. 5J ). Therefore, we asked whether coincident knockdown of PUMA could rescue the neural precursor death that
occurred after p63 ablation. To do this, we first validated a lentivirally driven PUMA shRNA; when expressed in WT neurospheres, the PUMA shRNA caused a decrease in PUMA mRNAbut not the mRNAs for p53, p63, or p73 (Fig. 5H ). We thentransduced SVZ cells from adult p63fl/fl mice with a lentivirus
expressing Cre recombinase with or without a lentivirus expressing either scrambled or PUMA shRNAs. As additional controls,
we transduced the SVZ cells with an EGFP-expressing lentivirus
together with either a scrambled or PUMA shRNA lentivirus.
Quantification of neurosphere numbers 6 d later showed that, aspredicted, expression of Cre recombinase and subsequent genetic
ablation of p63 caused a decrease in neurosphere numbers, andthis was rescued by the PUMA shRNA but not the scrambled
shRNA (Fig. 5K ).

(Figure legend continued.) olfactory bulb similar to those in F. GCL, Granule cell layer. ***p ⬍0.001; n ⫽ 3 animals each. H, Coronal sections through the SVZ of p63⫹/⫹ (p63WT) andp63⫹/⫺ (p63HET) mice immunostained for BrdU (green) and Sox2 (red) 1 d after BrdU injection. Arrows denote positive cells. Scale bar, 50 ␮m. I, Quantification of the proportion of
Sox2-positive cells that are also positive for BrdU in 10 sections similar to those in H. *p ⬍ 0.05;
n ⫽ 3 animals each; 611–955 total double-labeled cells per SVZ were counted. J, K, SVZ cells
from 3-month-old p63⫹/⫹ (p63WT) and p63⫹/⫺ (p63HET) mice were dissected, cultured as
primary neurospheres (J), and quantified (K). ***p ⬍ 0.001; n ⫽ 3 animals cultured individually, each in triplicate; similar results were obtained in independent experiments. L–O, Coronal
sections through the p63⫹/⫹ (p63WT) and p63⫹/⫺ (p63HET) SVZ were immunostained forSox2 (green, L; red, N) and CC3 (red, L) or TUNEL (green, N), and the proportion of Sox2-positive
cells that were double labeled for CC3 (M) or TUNEL (O) was quantified. Arrows denote doublelabeled cells and the arrowhead (N) a TUNEL-positive, Sox2-negative cell. *p ⬍ 0.05, **p ⬍0.01; n ⫽ 3 animals per group; 142–265 total double-labeled cells per SVZ were counted for the
Sox2 analysis and 137–259 for the TUNEL analysis. Scale bar, 50 ␮m. In all panels, error bars
denote SEM.

The decrease in neural precursors and adult-born neurons in
p63⫹/⫺ mice is rescued by coincident ablation of p53 in vivo
These data support the idea that loss of p63 causes neural precursor death by a p53–PUMA-dependent mechanism in culture. To
ask whether this was also true in vivo, we crossed the p63⫹/⫺ micewith mice lacking p53 (Jacks et al., 1994) and asked whether thisrescued the neural precursor phenotypes observed in the former.
Initially, we focused on the hippocampus, characterizing four
different genotypes: p63⫹/⫹;p53⫹/⫹ (WT), p63⫹/⫹;p53⫺/⫺(p53KO), p63⫹/⫺;p53⫹/⫹, and p63⫹/⫺;p53⫺/⫺. Nissl staining
demonstrated that hippocampal morphology was apparently
similar between all of these genotypes (Fig. 6A). In contrast, immunostaining demonstrated that p53KOs had a small but significant increase in Sox2-positive precursors and DCX-positiveCancino et al. • p63 Regulates Adult Neural Precursor Survival

12578 • J. Neurosci., July 31, 2013 • 33(31):12569 –12585

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Figure 4. Acute ablation of p63 in adult p63fl/fl;nestin–CreERT2⫹/ Ø;Rosa26RYFP/YFP mice reduces numbers of NPCs and adult-born neurons at 5 months of age. A–I, p63⫹/⫹;nestin–
CreERT2⫹/Ø;Rosa26RYFP/YFP (p63WT) and p63fl/fl;nestin–CreERT2⫹/Ø;Rosa26RYFP/YFP (p63FLOX) mice were treated with tamoxifen over the course of 3 months commencing at 2 months,
and coronal sections at the level of the dentate gyrus were analyzed by immunostaining for YFP (A, insets show the SGZ at higher magnification) and/or markers for precursors or neurons.
Ten sections spanning the rostrocaudal extent of the dentate gyrus were counted to determine the total number of YFP-positive cells (B) or YFP-positive cells that also expressed Sox2(C), GFAP (D), DCX (E), or NeuN (F). Similar sections were also analyzed for total Sox2-positive cells within the SGZ (G) or total DCX-positive cells in the dentate gyrus (H). *p ⬍ 0.05, **p ⬍0.01, ***p ⬍ 0.01; n ⫽ 3 animals per group. I, Quantification of BrdU-positive, NeuN-positive cells in the dentate gyrus of p63⫹/⫹;nestin–CreERT2⫹/Ø;Rosa26RYFP/YFP (p63WT) andp63fl/fl;nestin–CreERT2⫹/Ø;Rosa26R YFP/YFP (p63FLOX) mice. Mice were treated with tamoxifen over the course of 3 months commencing at 2 months of age, were injected with BrdU at
4 months of age, and were analyzed 1 month later at 5 months. ***p ⬍ 0.001; n ⫽ 3 animals per group. J, Coronal forebrain sections at the level of the SVZ (arrows) and rostral migratory
stream (arrowheads) from p63⫹/⫹;nestin–CreERT2⫹/Ø;Rosa26RYFP/YFP (p63WT) and p63fl/fl;nestin–CreERT2⫹/Ø;Rosa26RYFP/YFP (p63FLOX) mice that were treated with tamoxifen to
knock-out p63 and knock-in the YFP reporter (green). Insets show the rostral migratory stream at higher magnification. Scale bar, 200 ␮m. K, Quantification of primary neurospheres
generated from 20,000 SVZ cells from p63⫹/⫹;nestin–CreERT2⫹/Ø;Rosa26RYFP/YFP (p63WT) and p63fl/fl;nestin–CreERT2⫹/Ø;Rosa26RYFP/YFP (p63FLOX) mice that were treated withtamoxifen from 2 to 5 months of age. ***p ⬍ 0.001; n ⫽ 6 animals per group, two independent experiments; cells from each animal were plated independently in triplicate. L,
Quantification of the total number of BrdU-positive, NeuN-positive cells as determined by analyzing 10 sections spanning the entirety of the olfactory bulb of p63⫹/⫹;nestin–CreERT2⫹/
YFP/YFP
Ø;Rosa26R(p63WT) and p63fl/fl;nestin–CreERT2⫹/Ø;Rosa26RYFP/YFP (p63FLOX) mice. Mice were treated with tamoxifen over the course of 3 months, were injected with BrdU at 4
months of age, and were analyzed at 5 months. ***p ⬍ 0.001; n ⫽ 3 animals per group. In all panels, error bars denote SEM.

Cancino et al. • p63 Regulates Adult Neural Precursor Survival

J. Neurosci., July 31, 2013 • 33(31):12569 –12585 • 12579

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Figure 5. ⌬Np63 promotes survival and maintenance of cultured SVZ neurosphere-initiating cells by repressing a p53–PUMA pathway. A, B, p63⫹/⫹;nestin–CreERT2⫹/Ø;Rosa26RYFP/YFP(p63WT) and p63fl/fl;nestin–CreERT2⫹/Ø;Rosa26RYFP/YFP (p63FLOX) SVZ primary neurospheres were passaged and treated with 1 nM to 1 ␮M tamoxifen for 2 d (A shows (Figure legend continues.)12580 • J. Neurosci., July 31, 2013 • 33(31):12569 –12585

newborn neurons in the dentate gyrus compared with WT mice
(Fig. 6 B, C). Moreover, coincident p53 ablation significantly rescued the deficits in SGZ precursors and newborn neurons observed in the p63⫹/⫺ mice (Fig. 6 B, C). To confirm these findings,
we administered BrdU and 1 d later performed double-label immunocytochemistry for BrdU and Sox2. There was a small but
significant increase in proliferating precursors in p53KOs, andp53 ablation completely rescued the decrease in proliferating
SGZ precursors that occurred in p63⫹/⫺ mice (Fig. 6D). Similarly, we confirmed the neuronal phenotype by administering
BrdU to mice and then assessing BrdU-positive, NeuNpositive neurons in the dentate gyrus 1 month later; p53 ablation resulted in more newborn neurons relative to WTs andcompletely rescued the decrease in newborn neurons seen in p63⫹/⫺
mice (Fig. 6E).
To ask whether p53 ablation mediated these effects by rescuing the increased cell death that occurred in p63⫹/⫺ mice, wequantified the proportion of CC3-positive neural precursors andnewborn neurons in the dentate gyrus. p53KOs had significantly
fewer Sox2-positive, CC3-positive and DCX-positive, CC3positive cells in the dentate gyrus than did WT mice (Fig. 6 F, G).
In contrast, ⬃25–30% of SGZ precursors and newborn neurons
were CC3 positive in p63⫹/⫺ mice, and this was rescued to WTlevels by coincident p53 ablation (Fig. 6 F, G). Similar results wereobtained when we performed TUNEL assays; almost 30% of
4(Figure legend continued.) spheres cultured with 50 nM tamoxifen). Spheres were then immunostained for YFP (green, A) and CC3 (red, A), and the proportion of YFP-positive cells that
expressed CC3 was quantified (B). Control cultures were treated with vehicle alone (0tamoxifen group in B), and, because none of these cells expressed YFP, the proportion of
total CC3-positive cells was determined. *p ⬍ 0.05, **p ⬍ 0.01, ***p ⬍ 0.001; n ⫽ 3
animals each, analyzed in two independent experiments. Scale bar, 25 ␮m. C, D, Primaryneurosphere numbers in cultures of p63⫹/⫹ (C) or p63fl/fl (D) SVZ cells that were dissociated, transduced with 25 M.O.I. EGFP or Cre recombinase-expressing adenovirus (Ad EGFP
and Ad Cre) at 3 d and quantified 3 d later. Controls (C) were sister cultures with no
adenovirus added. **p ⬍ 0.01; n ⫽ 3 p63⫹/⫹ and p63fl/fl mice; cells from each animal
were plated independently, and each condition was performed in triplicate for each animal. Similar results were obtained in additional experiments. E, F, Quantification of primary neurosphere numbers in cultures of TAp63fl/fl (E) or ⌬Np63fl/fl (F) SVZ cells
transduced with EGFP or Cre adenovirus as in C and D. Numbers were normalized to the
EGFP-transduced cultures as 100%. For E, p ⫽ 0.19, n ⫽ 5 TAp63fl/fl mice; for F, ***p ⬍0.001, n ⫽ 7 ⌬Np63fl/fl mice; in both experiments, cells from each animal were plated
independently, and each conditioned was performed in triplicate for each animal. G,
Primary neurosphere numbers in cultures of ⌬Np63fl/fl SVZ cells transduced at 3 d with
EGFP or Cre adenoviruses, treated with ZVAD or vehicle (DMSO) after 1 d, and quantified
3 d later. Numbers were normalized to EGFP-transduced cultures treated with vehicle as
100%. ANOVA, F(3,8) ⫽ 9.59; **p ⫽ 0.005, n ⫽ 3 mice, cells from each animal plated
independently, and each condition performed in triplicate for each animal. Similar results
were obtained in additional experiments. H, RT-PCR analysis of equal amounts of total
RNA isolated from WT SVZ neurospheres that were transduced with scrambled, p53, or
PUMA shRNA lentiviruses on day 2 and analyzed for p53, p63, p73, PUMA, and GADPH
mRNAs on day 6. I, Primary neurosphere numbers in cultures of ⌬Np63fl/fl SVZ cells
transduced with lentiviruses expressing p53 or scrambled (Scr) shRNAs on day 2 and thenagain with EGFP or Cre-expressing lentivirus on day 4. Numbers were quantified on day 6.
ANOVA, F(3,28) ⫽ 15.18; ***p ⬍ 0.001, n ⫽ 8 mice, 4 each in two independent experiments. Cells from each animal were plated independently, and each condition was performed in triplicate. J, Quantitative real-time PCR for PUMA mRNA in total RNA isolated
from p63⫹/⫺ and WT SVZ neurospheres. *p ⬍ 0.05; n ⫽ 4 mice per group, analyzed in
two independent experiments. K, Primary neurosphere numbers in cultures of p63fl/fl SVZ
cells transduced with lentivirus expressing PUMA or scrambled (Scr) shRNAs on day 2 andthen again with EGFP or Cre-expressing lentivirus on day 4. ANOVA, F(3,28) ⫽ 15.18;***p ⬍ 0.001, n ⫽ 8 mice, analyzed in two independent experiments. Cells from eachanimal were plated independently, and each condition was performed in triplicate. In all
panels, error bars denote SEM.

Cancino et al. • p63 Regulates Adult Neural Precursor Survival

Sox2-positive precursors were TUNEL positive in the p63⫹/⫺
SGZ, and this was rescued to WT levels with coincident p53 ablation (Fig. 6H ).
We also examined SVZ precursors in these mice. Initially, we
administered BrdU and 1 d later quantified the proportion of
proliferating BrdU-positive, Sox2-positive precursors. Coincident p53 ablation rescued the small but significant decrease inproliferating Sox2-positive precursors observed in the p63⫹/⫺
SVZ (Fig. 6I ). To ask whether this rescue was attributable toalterations in cell death, we analyzed similar sections by immunostaining for CC3 or by performing TUNEL assays. p63
heterozygosity caused an increase of almost 2.5-fold in the proportion of Sox2-positive SVZ precursors that were apoptotic, andthis was rescued back to WT levels by p53 ablation (Fig. 6 J, K ).
Finally, we quantified adult-born olfactory neurons by administering BrdU and counting BrdU-positive olfactory bulb cells 1
month later. This analysis demonstrated that, as reported previously (Gil-Perotin et al., 2011), p53KOs had increased numbersof newborn olfactory bulb neurons relative to WTs (Fig. 6L) andthat p53 ablation rescued the decreased numbers of adult-born
olfactory neurons seen in the p63⫹/⫺ mice (Fig. 6L). Thus, p63
promotes survival of adult neural precursors and adult-bornneurons by inhibiting p53-dependent cell death.
Acute conditional deletion of p63 in adult neural precursors
causes deficits in hippocampus-dependent learning
To ask whether this p63 prosurvival activity was functionally important, we characterized aspects of hippocampus-dependent
memory formation that are known to require adult neurogenesis.
To do this, we acutely ablated p63 in adult neural precursors bytreating 1-month-old p63fl/fl;nestin–CreERT2⫹/Ø;Rosa26RYFP/YFP
mice with tamoxifen as for the neuroanatomy experiments. As
controls, we used p63⫹/⫹;nestin–CreERT2⫹/Ø;Rosa26RYFP/YFP
mice. Both groups of mice were treated for three cycles of tamoxifen treatment and, at 4 months of age, were examined for spatial
memory formation using the hidden-platform version of theMorris water maze in which mice were trained to find a platform
submerged under the pool surface using spatial cues around theroom. Specifically, mice were trained for 6 d (two blocks of three
trials a day), and spatial memory was evaluated in a series ofprobe tests (conducted on day 1 and day 4 before training and on
day 7 after training was complete) in which the platform wasremoved from the pool (Fig. 7A, top). For each probe test, wequantified the amount of time mice spent searching in the target
zone (20 cm radius, centered on the location of the platform
during training; 11% of the pool surface) versus the time spent inan average of three other equivalent zones of the pool (Fig. 7A,
bottom) (de Hoz et al., 2004; Teixeira et al., 2006; Maei et al.,2009). A probe test conducted on day 1 demonstrated that, before training, neither p63fl/fl;nestin–CreERT2⫹/Ø;Rosa26RYFP/⫹/⫹YFP nor p63;nestin–CreERT2⫹/Ø;Rosa26RYFP/YFP mice showeda preference for the target zone versus other zones (Fig. 7 B, C), as
expected. On days 4 and 7, the control p63⫹/⫹;nestin–CreERT2⫹/
YFP/YFP
Ø;Rosa26R
mice showed strong spatial memory, spending
more time in the target zone than in other areas of the pool (Fig.
7 B, C). In contrast, spatial memory formation was attenuated in
the p63fl/fl;nestin–CreERT2⫹/Ø;Rosa26RYFP/YFP mice at both 4 and7 d (Fig. 7 B, C). An ANOVA comparing time in the target zone
only across probe sets showed a genotype ⫻ test interaction(F(2,26) ⫽ 5.79, p ⬍ 0.05; genotype, F(1,13) ⫽ 4.56, p ⬍ 0.05; test,
F(2,26) ⫽ 34.44, p ⬍ 0.001.) Post hoc Newman–Keuls tests performed on this significant interaction demonstrated that the control but not p63fl/fl;nestin–CreERT2⫹/Ø;Rosa26RYFP/YFP miceCancino et al. • p63 Regulates Adult Neural Precursor Survival

p63HET;p53KO

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J. Neurosci., July 31, 2013 • 33(31):12569 –12585 • 12581

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Figure 6. The p63⫹/⫺ deficit in NPCs and adult-born neurons in 3-month-old mice is rescued by coincident ablation of p53 in vivo. Coronal sections at the level of the hippocampus (A–H), lateral
ventricles (I–K), and olfactory bulb (L) of 3-month-old p63⫹/⫹;p53⫹/⫹ (p63WT;p53WT), p63⫹/⫹;p53⫺/⫺ (p63WT;p53KO), p63⫹/⫺ ;p53⫹/⫹ (p63HET;p53WT), and p63⫹/⫺;p53⫺/⫺ (p63HET;
p53KO) mice were analyzed for precursor and newborn neuron phenotypes, and quantification was performed as in Figures 2 and 3. A, Representative micrographs of coronal, Nissl-stained sections
at the level of the hippocampus. Scale bar, 250 ␮m. B, C, Quantification of the total number of Sox2-positive precursors (B) and DCX-positive newborn neurons (C) in the SGZ. For B: ANOVA, F(3,12)⫽ 30.78; ***p ⬍ 0.001, n ⫽ 4 animals per group. For C: ANOVA, F(3,12) ⫽ 15.64; ***p ⬍ 0.001, n ⫽ 4 animals per group. D, Quantification of the total number of BrdU-positive, Sox2-positive SGZ
cells 1 d after BrdU injection. ANOVA, F(3,8) ⫽ 20.91; ***p ⬍ 0.001, n ⫽ 3 animals per group. E, Quantification of the total number of BrdU-positive, NeuN-positive neurons in the dentate gyrus 30 d
after BrdU injection. ANOVA, F(3,8) ⫽ 115.7; ***p ⬍ 0.001, n ⫽ 3 animals per group. F, G, Quantification of the proportion of Sox2-positive (F) or DCX-positive (G) dentate gyrus cells that are also
positive for CC3. For F: ANOVA, F(3,8) ⫽ 37.11; ***p ⬍ 0.001, n ⫽ 3 animals per group; 90 –242 total double-positive cells were counted per hippocampus. For G: ANOVA, F(3,8) ⫽ 64.23; ***p ⬍0.001, n ⫽ 3 animals per group, 92–250 total double-positive cells were counted per hippocampus. H, Quantification of the proportion of Sox2-positive cells in the (Figure legend continues.)Cancino et al. • p63 Regulates Adult Neural Precursor Survival

12582 • J. Neurosci., July 31, 2013 • 33(31):12569 –12585

showed evidence of spatial memory formation in the day 4 probe
and that, even on day 7, p63fl/fl;nestin–CreERT2⫹/Ø;Rosa26RYFP/YFP mice only showed weak spatial memory. In contrast to these
deficits in spatial memory, p63fl/fl mice demonstrated normal
swim speed over training ( p ⬎ 0.05) and were not different fromtheir control littermates in a visible (cued) version of the water
maze (ANOVA; genotype, F(1,16) ⫽ 0.02, p ⬎ 0.05; training day,F(1,16) ⫽ 14.48, p ⬍ 0.01; n ⫽ 8, p63⫹/⫹;nestin–CreERT2⫹/Ø;
Rosa26RYFP/YFP; n ⫽ 10, p63fl/fl;nestin–CreERT2⫹/Ø;Rosa26RYFP/
YFP). Thus, the deficit in spatial memory formation could not be
attributed to nonspecific performance variables.
To confirm that the acute loss of p63 in adult precursors
caused deficits in hippocampus-dependent learning, we also performed a standard delay context fear memory task (Kim andFanselow, 1992; Nakashiba et al., 2012). Results of this task demonstrated that p63fl/fl;nestin–CreERT2⫹/Ø;Rosa26RYFP/YFP mice
had deficits in context fear memory relative to the control p63⫹/⫹;
nestin–CreERT2⫹/Ø;Rosa26RYFP/YFP mice (Fig. 7D). We thenused a context preexposure task, a version of context fear that is
critically dependent on the hippocampus (Matus-Amat et al.,
2004; Rudy et al., 2004). Unlike traditional context fear conditioning experiments, the context preexposure task temporally
separates the context acquisition phase of the experiment fromthe association of the context with the shock. In this task, rodents
are exposed to the context for 10 min (without shock) and, thefollowing day, receive an immediate shock after being replaced in
the context; only animals that were preexposed to the context
show high levels of freezing when subsequently tested (Kiernan and Westbrook, 1993). As predicted for this task, bothp63⫹/⫹;nestin–CreERT2⫹/Ø;Rosa26RYFP/YFP and p63fl/fl;nestin–
CreERT2⫹/Ø;Rosa26RYFP/YFP mice that were not preexposed(NPE) to the context the day before receiving an immediate
footshock after context placement showed low freezing when subsequently tested (Fig. 7E). As expected, the control p63⫹/⫹;nestin–CreERT2⫹/Ø;Rosa26RYFP/YFP that were preexposed (PE) to the context
showed higher freezing than either group of NPE mice (Fig. 7E),
which both displayed equally low freezing, as shown by post hoc
Newman–Keuls tests. However, the PE p63fl/fl;nestin–CreERT2⫹/Ø;
Rosa26RYFP/YFP mice froze significantly less than did the PE p63⫹/⫹;
nestin–CreERT2⫹/Ø;Rosa26RYFP/YFP mice (Fig. 7E). In contrast, bothgroups showed normal distance traveled and anxiety behaviors in
the open field (Fig. 7F,G), making it unlikely that the spatial andcontextual memory deficits are attributable to nonspecific impairments in motor function or increases in anxiety. Thus, inducible
ablation of p63 in adult neural precursors and their adult-born neuronal progeny is sufficient to cause deficits in hippocampusdependent learning.
Similar behavioral deficits were observed in 3-month-old
p63⫹/⫺ mice relative to their WT littermates, confirming the dataobtained with the p63fl/fl;nestin–CreERT2⫹/Ø;Rosa26RYFP/YFP
4(Figure legend continued.) dentate gyrus that were also positive for TUNEL. ANOVA, F(3,8) ⫽142.9; ***p ⬍ 0.001, n ⫽ 3 animals per group, 104 –250 total double-positive cells werecounted per hippocampus. I, Quantification of the proportion of Sox2-positive cells within the
SVZ that were also positive for BrdU 1 d after BrdU injection. ANOVA, F(3,8) ⫽ 24.28; ***p ⬍0.001, n ⫽ 3 animals per group. J, K, Quantification of the proportion of Sox2-positive SVZ cells
that were also positive for CC3 (J) or TUNEL (K). For J: ANOVA, F(3,8) ⫽ 56.47; ***p ⬍ 0.001, n ⫽3 animals per group, 133–316 total double-positive cells were counted per SVZ. For K: ANOVA,
F(3,8) ⫽ 54.52; ***p ⬍ 0.001, n ⫽ 3 animals per group, 122–280 total double-positive cells
were counted per SVZ. L, Quantification of the total number of BrdU-positive, NeuN-positive
neurons in the olfactory bulb 30 d after BrdU injection. ANOVA, F(3,8) ⫽ 260.3; ***p ⬍ 0.001,
n ⫽ 3 animals per group. In all panels, error bars denote SEM.

mice. With regard to the water maze, analysis of the probe tests
showed that, as expected, on day 1, before training began, neither
p63⫹/⫹ or p63⫹/⫺ mice showed a preference for the target zone
over an average of the other zones (Fig. 7 H, I ). On day 4, p63⫹/⫹
mice showed spatial memory, spending more time in the target
versus other zones, whereas p63⫹/⫺ mice did not and spentequivalent amounts of time in the target and other zones (Fig.
7 H, I ). p63⫹/⫺ mice did exhibit evidence of weak spatial memory
after all training was complete on day 7, but they continued toshow a deficit in spatial memory relative to their WT littermates,
spending less time in the target zone than p63⫹/⫹ mice (Fig.
7 H, I ). A comparison of the time spent in the target zone only
across probe tests confirmed that, although p63⫹/⫹ mice showedrobust spatial memory formation on day 4, p63⫹/⫺ mice did notshow evidence of spatial memory until day 7 (two-way ANOVA
and post hoc Newman–Keuls test; genotype ⫻ test interaction,
F(2,36) ⫽ 4.69, p ⬍ 0.05; genotype, F(1,18) ⫽ 16.22, p ⬍ 0.001; test,
F(2,36) ⫽ 19.98, p ⬍ 0.001).
Similarly, p63⫹/⫺ mice showed a deficit relative to p63⫹/⫹
mice in both the standard test of context fear memory (Fig. 7J )and in the context preexposure fear memory task (Fig. 7K ). With
regard to the latter, both p63⫹/⫹ and p63⫹/⫺ mice that were notpreexposed (NPE) to the context showed low freezing when subsequently tested, and WT p63⫹/⫹ mice that were preexposed (PE)to the context showed robust freezing when tested (Fig. 7K ). In
contrast, p63⫹/⫺ mice that were preexposed to the context
showed a deficit in freezing when later tested (Fig. 7K ). These
deficits were not attributable to nonspecific impairments because
p63⫹/⫺ mice showed normal distance traveled and anxiety behavior in the open field (Fig. 7 L, M ).

Discussion
The molecular mechanisms ensuring the survival of adult NPCs
and newborn neurons and the potential relevance of these mechanisms to cognitive function are poorly understood. Here weshow that p63 is a key determinant of NPC survival. Depletion of
p63, either conditionally in adult NPCs or by haploinsufficiency,
caused death of both precursors and adult-born neurons andultimately led to cognitive deficits. Our culture experiments indicate that these phenotypes were attributable to the loss of⌬Np63, which promotes neural precursor survival at least in partby silencing a p53–PUMA-dependent death pathway. Moreover,coincident ablation of p53 in vivo was sufficient to rescue theenhanced apoptosis and decreased neurogenesis that occurs in
p63⫹/⫺ mice. Thus, p63 plays a critical role in maintaining normal numbers of adult NPCs and adult-born neurons, thereby
regulating hippocampal-dependent memory formation.
We and others have observed that the basal rate of adult NPC
apoptosis is ⬃8 –15% (Bunk et al., 2010; Malone et al., 2012; Sunet al., 2012), and we therefore hypothesized that any increase inthis basal rate of apoptosis would result in decreased NPC pools,
decreased adult neurogenesis, and subsequent cognitive impairments. Indeed, decreasing the levels of p63 in the p63⫹/⫺ mouseor by conditional ablation of p63 in NPCs resulted in a doublingof the number of CC3 or TUNEL-positive NPCs and newborn
neurons and a 30 – 40% reduction in new neurons that integrated
in the SGZ and olfactory bulb. Therefore, we conclude that maintaining the basal rate of NPC survival is important to sustain
neurogenesis in the adult mouse and that any alterations thatmight affect this survival, even in a small way, will likely havesignificant consequences behaviorally.
How does ⌬Np63 suppress apoptosis in NPCs? One way it
might do so is by inhibiting the apoptotic actions of p53. In thisCancino et al. • p63 Regulates Adult Neural Precursor Survival

J. Neurosci., July 31, 2013 • 33(31):12569 –12585 • 12583

O

O

O

30

*

20

E

40
30

*

20
10
0

p63 p63
WT FLOX

I

**
**

***
***
ns
ns

10
0

T O T ODay 1

T O T O
Day 4

40

Context
pre-exposure

30

**

**

20
ns

10
0
NPE

PE

T O T O
Day 7

Day 1

L
p63WT
p63HET

Distance (cm)Percent time in zone

PE

20

K
Percent freezing

NPE

7000
6000
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
0

5
4
3
2
1
0

G

Open Field
1000

600
400
200
0

p63 p63
WT FLOX

Day 4

p63WT
p63FLOX

800

p63 p63 p63 p63 p63 p63
WT FLOX WT FLOX WT FLOX
Outer
MiddleCenter

J

Day 7
5
4
3
2
1
0

Number of visits (AU)

30

ns

10

T O T O
Day 7

Open Field

p63WT
p63FLOX

20

Probe test
p63WT
p63HET

*

30

0

H
40

**

T O T O
Day 4

F

Context
pre-exposure
40

Percent freezing

Percent freezing

50

T O T ODay 1

Distance (cm)Context FC

ns

10
0

D

**

**
**

Day 7

p63WT

7
Probe

Context FC
50

Percent freezing

T

6

Day 4

p63FLOX

5*Time spent in zones (s)

WM
Zones
r = 20 cm

4
Probe

p63WT

3

Day 1

p63HET

2

p63WT
p63FLOX

Number of visits (AU)

Day 1
Probe

C

Probe test

40

40
30
20

*

10
0

p63 p63
WT HET

M
7000
6000
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
0

Open Field

p63 p63
WT HET

Time spent in zones (s)B
WM
Train Train Train Train Train Train

Percent time in zone

A

1000

Open Field

800
600
400
200
0

p63 p63 p63 p63 p63 p63
WT HET WT HET WT HET
Outer Middle
CenterFigure 7. Acute ablation of p63 in adult neural precursors impairs hippocampus-dependent learning. A–G, Four-month-old p63⫹/⫹;nestin–CreERT2⫹/Ø;Rosa26RYFP/YFP (p63WT) and p63fl/fl;
nestin–CreERT2⫹/Ø;Rosa26RYFP/YFP (p63FLOX) mice were trained in the hidden-platform version of the Morris water maze (WM). A, To assess spatial memory formation, probe tests were conducted
on days 1 and 4 before training and on day 7 (after training was completed). During the probe test, the platform was removed from the pool and the amount of time mice spent in the target (T) zone
(in which the platform was located during training) was compared with the average time spent in the equally sized other (O) zones. B, Quantitative analysis of the time spent in the target zone
(Target) versus equivalent zones in the other three quadrants (Other). Two-way ANOVA; day 1, genotype ⫻ zone, F(1,13) ⫽ 0.01, p ⬎ 0.05; genotype, F(1,18) ⫽ 0.61, p ⬎ 0.05; zone, F(1,18) ⫽ 0.09,
p ⬎ 0.05; day 4, genotype ⫻ zone, F(1,13) ⫽ 7.04, p ⬍ 0.05; genotype, F(1,13) ⫽ 12.82, p ⬍ 0.01; zone, F(1,13) ⫽ 18.44, p ⬍ 0.001; day 7, genotype ⫻ Zone, F(1,13) ⫽ 0.84, p ⬎ 0.05; genotype,F(1,13) ⫽ 8.41, p ⬍ 0.05; zone, F(1,13) ⫽ 23.03, p ⬍ 0.001; n ⫽ 8 p63WT, 7 p63FLOX. C, Density plots of grouped data showing where in the pool the p63WT and p63FLOX mice concentrated theirsearches during probe tests on days 1, 4, and 7. Color scale represents the number of visits per animal per 5 ⫻ 5 cm area of the pool. During training, the platform was located in top left of pool (whitecircle). AU, Arbitrary units. D, Percentage of time spent freezing in the standard delay context fear memory task for p63⫹/⫹;nestin–CreERT2⫹/Ø;Rosa26RYFP/YFP (p63WT) and p63fl/fl;nestin–
CreERT2⫹/Ø;Rosa26RYFP/YFP (p63FLOX) mice. ANOVA, F(1,15) ⫽ 6.23, *p ⬍ 0.05, n ⫽ 11 p63WT and 6 p63FLOX. E, p63⫹/⫹;nestin–CreERT2⫹/Ø;Rosa26RYFP/YFP (p63WT) and p63fl/fl;nestin–
CreERT2⫹/Ø;Rosa26RYFP/YFP (p63FLOX) mice were tested in the context preexposure task, comparing groups of mice that were preexposed (PE) or non-preexposed (NPE) to the context the day before
receiving a shock. ANOVA, F(3,33) ⫽ 9.56, p ⬍ 0.001; *p ⬍ 0.05; **p ⬍ 0.01; n ⫽ 9 NPE p63WT, 9 PE p63WT, 9 NPE p63FLOX, and 8 PE p63FLOX. F,G, Open-field analysis for p63⫹/⫹;nestin–
CreERT2⫹/Ø;Rosa26RYFP/YFP (p63WT) and p63fl/fl;nestin–CreERT2⫹/Ø;Rosa26RYFP/YFP (p63FLOX) mice showing the distance traveled (F, in centimeters) and time spent in the outer, middle, andcenter regions (G, in seconds) in the open field. ANOVA, p ⬎ 0.05; n ⫽ 8 p63WT and 7 p63FLOX. In all panels, error bars denote SEM. H–M, Three-month-old p63⫹/⫹ (p63WT) and p63⫹/⫺ (p63HET)
mice were trained in the hidden-platform version of the Morris water maze. H, Percentage of time spent in the target zone (T) versus equivalent zones in the other three quadrants (O) in probe tests
conducted on days 1, 4, and 7. Two-way ANOVA, day 1, genotype ⫻ zone interaction, F(1,18) ⫽ 0.11, p ⬎ 0.05 or main effect of genotype, F(1,18) ⫽ 0.52, p ⬎ 0.05; zone, F(1,18) ⫽ 4.55, p ⬍ 0.05;
day 4, genotype ⫻ zone, F(1,18) ⫽ 46.80, p ⬍ 0.001; genotype, F(1,18) ⫽ 36.70, p ⬍ 0.001; zone, F(1,18) ⫽ 82.26, p ⬍ 0.001; day 7, genotype ⫻ zone, F(1,18) ⫽ 1.85, p ⬎ 0.05; genotype, F(1,18)⫽ 8.26, p ⬍ 0.05; zone, F(1,18) ⫽ 14.96, p ⬍ 0.001; **p ⬍ 0.01, ***p ⬍ 0.001, NS ⫽ p ⬎ 0.05; n ⫽ 10 per group. I, Density plots for grouped data showing where the p63WT and p63HET mice
concentrated their searches during probe tests on days 1, 4, and 7. Color scale represents the number of visits per animal per 5 ⫻ 5 cm area of the pool. During training, (Figure legend continues.)Cancino et al. • p63 Regulates Adult Neural Precursor Survival

12584 • J. Neurosci., July 31, 2013 • 33(31):12569 –12585

regard, we show that knockdown of p53 in neurospheres rescued
the increased apoptosis caused by conditional p63 ablation. Likewise, knock-out of p53 in vivo rescued the enhanced apoptosis of
NPCs and newly born neurons observed in p63⫹/⫺ mice. In thisregard, deletion of p53 has been shown previously to increase thesurvival of SVZ-derived neurospheres (Meletis et al., 2006), and,
when p53 is constitutively activated in mice by a knock-in mutation, this depletes SGZ precursors in a manner dependent on the
p53 apoptotic effector PUMA (Liu et al., 2010). Our results confirm and extend these previous studies; we show an increase in
adult NPCs and adult-born neurons in p53⫺/⫺ mice, enhanced
levels of PUMA in p63⫹/⫺ neurospheres, and a rescue of thesurvival of neurospheres depleted of ⌬Np63 by suppressing either p53 or PUMA. Thus, although ⌬Np63 can suppress apoptosis in a number of ways (Yang and McKeon, 2000), our data
support a model in which p53 is a major ⌬Np63 pro-apoptotic
target in NPCs, with ⌬Np63 directly inhibiting p53 function byeither directly competing for p53 target promoters and/or binding to and sequestering p53 by forming inactive tetramers (Yangand McKeon, 2000). An alternative mechanism is that ⌬Np63
might prevent premature cell cycle exit of NPCs, one of the proposed roles for this gene in epithelial cells (Koster et al., 2005). In
keratinocytes, ⌬Np63 regulates the cell cycle through its direct orindirect transcriptional suppression of the cell cycle inhibitors
p21 WAF1 and p16 INK4a (Westfall et al., 2003; Keyes et al., 2005).
However, the consequence of elevated p21 WAF1 and p16 INK4aafter p63 knockdown or ablation was premature senescence(Westfall et al., 2003; Keyes et al., 2005) rather than apoptosis as
we observe here.
We previously reported roles for TAp73 in embryonic andadult NPCs and for TAp63 in neural crest-like dermal stem cells(Su et al., 2009; Fujitani et al., 2010). In both cases, the TA isoforms regulated self-renewal by inhibiting precursor differentiation or cell cycle arrest. We have also shown that ⌬Np63, when
depleted by in utero electroporation in NPCs, caused an enhancement of embryonic cortical precursor apoptosis (Dugani et al.,2009). However, Holembowski et al. (2011) examined the p63
knock-out embryonic cortex and concluded that there was nodifference in embryonic forebrain NPC development. In contrast, we show here that, in the adult brain, heterozygosity or
acute ablation of p63 results in a 30 – 40% loss in SVZ and SGZ
NPCs and associated neurogenesis and ultimately causes deficits
in NPC-related hippocampus-dependent cognition.
At the molecular level, both intrinsic and extrinsic cues havebeen described as adult neurogenesis modulators, including Sox2
and TLX (Trophoblast leukocyte common antigen) in NPC selfrenewal, FGF and EGF receptors in NPC proliferation, and Wnt
and VEGF in NPC differentiation (Ming and Song, 2011). However, little is known about the genes regulating adult NPC survival and how this might affect NPC-dependent learning. Resultspresented here identifying a prosurvival protein, p63, as an
4(Figure legend continued.) the platform was located in top left of pool (white circle). AU,
Arbitrary units. J, Percentage of time spent freezing in the standard delay context fear memorytask for p63⫹/⫹ (p63WT) and p63⫹/⫺ (p63HET) mice. ANOVA, F(1,6) ⫽ 8.03, *p ⬍ 0.05, n ⫽4 per group. K, p63⫹/⫹ (p63WT) and p63⫹/⫺ (p63HET) mice were tested in the context
preexposure task comparing groups of mice that were preexposed (PE) or non-preexposed(NPE) to the context the day before receiving a shock. ANOVA, F(3,33) ⫽ 9.57, **p ⬍ 0.001; n ⫽7 NPE p63⫹/⫹, 12 PE p63⫹/⫹, 9 NPE p63⫹/⫺, and 9 PE p63⫹/⫺. L, M, Open-field analysis for
p63⫹/⫹ (p63WT) and p63⫹/⫺ (p63HET) mice, showing the distance traveled (L, in centimeters) and time spent in the outer, middle, and center regions (M, in seconds) in the open field.
ANOVA, p ⬎ 0.05; n ⫽ 4 per group. In all panels, error bars denote SEM.

important regulator of adult neurogenesis indicate that cell
survival is one key regulatory point in this regard. Moreover,because p63 is also expressed in human cortex and hippocampus (Hernández-Acosta et al., 2011), then our results raise thepossibility that p63 might regulate human hippocampal neurogenesis, something that could be relevant for humans with p63
mutations (Brunner et al., 2002).
Here we show that conditional ablation of p63 in adult NPCs
and adult-born neurons causes deficits in the numbers of thesetwo cell types coincident with impaired memory on the hiddenplatform version of the water maze and two versions of context
fear conditioning. This behavioral profile of specific hippocampal memory formation impairment was remarkably consistent
with that seen in mice in which p63 is haploinsufficient. The
finding that disrupting adult-born neurons induces a deficit inhippocampal-dependent memory is in agreement with many
previous findings. For instance, several studies report deficits incontextual fear conditioning (Saxe et al., 2006; Imayoshi et al.,2008) and spatial memory formation assessed in the water maze
(Dupret et al., 2008; Deng et al., 2009; Garthe et al., 2009) after
ablation of adult neurogenesis. Additionally, decreased hippocampal neurogenesis resulting from genetic deletion of theorphan receptor TLX (Ming and Song, 2011) or the fragile X
syndrome protein FMRP (Guo et al., 2011) also led to impairments in the water maze and radial arm maze, respectively.
Our findings showing that p63 is a key prosurvival protein forneural precursors add to a growing body of literature indicating
an important role for the p53 family in adult NPCs. With regard
to p73, four groups showed that p73 was critical for the selfrenewal of NPCs in the embryonic and adult brain and that
TAp73 was the isoform responsible for normal hippocampal formation, adult neurogenesis, and self-renewal of NPCs (Fujitani etal., 2010; Talos et al., 2010; Flores, 2011). As for p53, it regulates
the number of NPCs in the adult brain by regulating both survival
and proliferation (Meletis et al., 2006; Gil-Perotin et al., 2011).
Thus, the three p53 family members (p53, p63, and p73) play
distinct roles in the maintenance of adult NPC pools. p53 negatively inhibits self-renewal, proliferation, and survival, whereas⌬Np63 counteracts the pro-apoptotic activity of p53. TAp73
maintains NPC pools by inhibiting inappropriate neurogenesis,in part by transcriptionally activating the HEY2 neurogenesis
suppressor (Fujitani et al., 2010) and possibly by enhancing theexpression of self-renewal regulators such as Sox2 (Talos et al.,2010). Perturbations in the expression or activity of any of thesefamily members will ultimately alter the size of the NPC pool,with significant repercussions for cognitive function.

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