The mesenchymal cadherin-11 is expressed in restricted sites during the ontogeny of the rat brain in modes suggesting novel functions.
Cadherin-11 (Cad-11), a cell cell adhesion molecule belonging to the "classical type II" cadherin family, is a marker of the loosely connected and migratory cellular elements of the mesenchyme. Interestingly, by using in situ hybridization, regional high expression of cad-11 was seen in the brain as well as the spinal cord. We made the following observations in rat embryos and neonates: (1) cad-11 first appears at the lips of the open neural tube; (2) shortly after neural tube closure, cad-11 delineates boundaries in the fore- and midbrain while a metameric signal is detected in the rhombencephalon; (3) cad-11 expression is found in specific neuroepithelia and ependyma; (4) in the fetal developing brain, cad-11 transcripts are present during the formation of precise cortical layers, in various brain nucleus or subsets of nuclei and in circumventricular organs; (5) intense cad-11 expression is located at the point of optic nerve exit and entry; (6) cad-11 signal accompanies, in a spatio-temporal manner, the dynamics of cell migration in the cortex from lateral ganglionic eminence through the cortico-striatal sulcus. These data are discussed, and hypotheses for additional and novel properties for cad-11 are suggested.
Simonneau
L
L
Morphogénèse Cellulaire et Progression Tumoral, UMR 144 CNRS-Institut Curie, Paris, France. lsimonno@infobiogen.fr
Thiery
J P
JP
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D015820:Cadherins / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism*; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D005123:Eye / Q000196:embryology; D005724:Ganglia / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008648:Mesoderm / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D009432:Neural Crest / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism; D009900:Optic Nerve / Q000378:metabolism; D010870:Pineal Gland / Q000378:metabolism; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000378:metabolism; D016548:Prosencephalon / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors; D014018:Tissue Distribution
D015820:Cadherins; C086960:osteoblast cadherin