QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s):
Home     Help     Feedback     Subscriptions     Archive     Search     Table of Contents

First published online 27 July 2004
doi: 10.1242/dev.01299

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: dev.01299v1 131/17/4239    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Taglialatela, P. Articles by Bertuzzi, S. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Taglialatela, P. Articles by Bertuzzi, S. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Compromised generation of GABAergic interneurons in the brains of Vax1^-/- mice

Dulbecco Telethon Institute at CNR-ITB, via fratelli Cervi, 93 20090 Segrate (MI), Italy

^* Author for correspondence (e-mail: sbertuzzi{at}dti.telethon.it)

Accepted 8 June 2004

The subcortical telencephalon is the major source of GABAergic interneurons that, during development, tangentially migrate to the cerebral cortex, where they modulate the glutamatergic excitatory action of pyramidal cells. The transcription factor Vax1, an intracellular mediator of both Shh and Fgf signaling, is expressed at high levels in the medial and lateral ganglionic eminences (MGE and LGE, respectively), in the septal area (SA), in the anterior entopeduncular area (AEP) and in the preoptic area (POA). We show that Vax1 expression in the neuroepithelium is graded: low in the ventricular zone (VZ) and high in the subventricular zone (SVZ), in a pattern that closely reproduces that of several members of the Dlx and Gsh family of homeobox transcription factors. We provide evidence that Vax1 plays an important role in proliferation and differentiation of MGE, POA/AEP and septum, and that the last structure is completely absent in Vax1^-/- mice. We show that the absence of Vax1 causes a severe depletion of GABAergic neurons in the neocortex, ranging from 30% to 44%, depending on the cortical areas considered. Taken together, our data indicate that a loss of function mutation in the Vax1 gene generates abnormalities in basal ganglia subventricular zone development and that it prevents the formation of the septum, impairing GABAergic interneuron generation.

Key words: Telencephalon, Septum, MGE, Mouse

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				D. M. Gelman, F. J. Martini, S. Nobrega-Pereira, A. Pierani, N. Kessaris, and O. Marin The Embryonic Preoptic Area Is a Novel Source of Cortical GABAergic Interneurons J. Neurosci., July 22, 2009; 29(29): 9380 - 9389. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. Inoue, M. Ota, M. Ogawa, K. Mikoshiba, and J. Aruga Zic1 and Zic3 Regulate Medial Forebrain Development through Expansion of Neuronal Progenitors J. Neurosci., May 16, 2007; 27(20): 5461 - 5473. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. Colombo, P. Collombat, G. Colasante, M. Bianchi, J. Long, A. Mansouri, J. L. R. Rubenstein, and V. Broccoli Inactivation of Arx, the Murine Ortholog of the X-Linked Lissencephaly with Ambiguous Genitalia Gene, Leads to Severe Disorganization of the Ventral Telencephalon with Impaired Neuronal Migration and Differentiation J. Neurosci., April 25, 2007; 27(17): 4786 - 4798. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. Wonders and S. A. Anderson Cortical Interneurons and Their Origins Neuroscientist, June 1, 2005; 11(3): 199 - 205. [Abstract] [PDF]

				J. M. Soria, P. Taglialatela, S. Gil-Perotin, R. Galli, A. Gritti, J. M. G. Verdugo, and S. Bertuzzi Defective Postnatal Neurogenesis and Disorganization of the Rostral Migratory Stream in Absence of the Vax1 Homeobox Gene J. Neurosci., December 8, 2004; 24(49): 11171 - 11181. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]