title: Mammalian DSCAMs: roles in the development of the spinal cord, cortex, and cerebellum?
abstract: Central nervous system (CNS) development involves neural patterning, neuronal and axonal migrations, and synapse formation. DSCAM, a chromosome 21 axon guidance molecule, is expressed by CNS neurons during development and throughout adult life. We now report that DSCAM and its chromosome 11 paralog DSCAML1 exhibit inverse ventral-dorsal expression patterns in the developing spinal cord and distinct, partly inverse, expression patterns in the developing cortex, beginning in the Cajal-Retzius cells. In the adult cortex, DSCAM predominates in layer 3/5 pyramidal cells and DSCAML1 predominates in layer 2 granule cells. In the cerebellum, DSCAM is stronger in the Purkinje cells and DSCAML1 in the granule cells. Finally, we find that the predicted DSCAML1 protein contains 60 additional N-terminal amino acids which may contribute to its distinct expression pattern and putative function. We propose that the DSCAMs comprise novel elements of the pathways mediating dorsal-ventral patterning and cell-fate specification in the developing CNS.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Human Genetics and Pediatrics, UCLA and Cedars-Sinai Health System, Los Angeles, CA 90048, USA.
authors.forename: Gillian M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Barlow
authors.forename: Bruce
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Micales
authors.forename: Xiao-Ning
authors.initials: XN
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Gary E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Lyons
authors.forename: Julie R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Korenberg
mesh_terms: D017398:Alternative Splicing; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000196:embryology* / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000032:analysis; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D007700:Kinetics; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D051379:Mice; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000196:embryology* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D018076:DNA, Complementary; C110833:DSCAM protein, human; C432365:DSCAML1 protein, human; C486620:DSCAML1 protein, mouse; C491735:Dscam protein, mouse; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D011506:Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger