title: Lpd depletion reveals that SRF specifies radial versus tangential migration of pyramidal neurons.
abstract: During corticogenesis, pyramidal neurons (∼80% of cortical neurons) arise from the ventricular zone, pass through a multipolar stage to become bipolar and attach to radial glia, and then migrate to their proper position within the cortex. As pyramidal neurons migrate radially, they remain attached to their glial substrate as they pass through the subventricular and intermediate zones, regions rich in tangentially migrating interneurons and axon fibre tracts. We examined the role of lamellipodin (Lpd), a homologue of a key regulator of neuronal migration and polarization in Caenorhabditis elegans, in corticogenesis. Lpd depletion caused bipolar pyramidal neurons to adopt a tangential, rather than radial-glial, migration mode without affecting cell fate. Mechanistically, Lpd depletion reduced the activity of SRF, a transcription factor regulated by changes in the ratio of polymerized to unpolymerized actin. Therefore, Lpd depletion exposes a role for SRF in directing pyramidal neurons to select a radial migration pathway along glia rather than a tangential migration mode.
authors.affiliation: Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
authors.forename: Elaine M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Pinheiro
authors.forename: Zhigang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Amy L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Norovich
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vidaki
authors.forename: Li-Huei
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: Frank B
authors.initials: FB
authors.lastname: Gertler
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D055785:Gene Knockdown Techniques; D051379:Mice; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D055495:Neurogenesis / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D017966:Pyramidal Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000235:genetics; D026362:Serum Response Factor / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D026362:Serum Response Factor