title: Conditional activation of Pax6 in the developing cortex of transgenic mice causes progenitor apoptosis.
abstract: During development, Pax6 is expressed in a rostrolateral-high to caudomedial-low gradient in the majority of the cortical radial glial progenitors and endows them with neurogenic properties. Using a Cre/loxP-based approach, we studied the effect of conditional activation of two Pax6 isoforms, Pax6 and Pax6-5a, on the corticogenesis of transgenic mice. We found that activation of either Pax6 or Pax6-5a inhibits progenitor proliferation in the developing cortex. Upon activation of transgenic Pax6, specific progenitor pools with distinct endogenous Pax6 expression levels at different developmental stages show defects in cell cycle progression and in the acquisition of apoptotic or neuronal cell fate. The results provide new evidence for the complex role of Pax6 in mammalian corticogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Berger
authors.forename: Silke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Berger
authors.forename: Tran Cong
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Tuoc
authors.forename: Marcello
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: D'Amelio
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cecconi
authors.forename: Jessica A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Gorski
authors.forename: Kevin R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gruss
authors.forename: Anastassia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stoykova
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology*; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000196:embryology* / Q000378:metabolism; D017931:DNA Primers; D005136:Eye Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008156:Luciferases; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D000071841:PAX6 Transcription Factor; D051761:Paired Box Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D005136:Eye Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D000071841:PAX6 Transcription Factor; D051761:Paired Box Transcription Factors; C000605732:Pax6 protein, mouse; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D008156:Luciferases