title: Fate mapping by piggyBac transposase reveals that neocortical GLAST+ progenitors generate more astrocytes than Nestin+ progenitors in rat neocortex.
abstract: Progenitors within the neocortical ventricular zone (VZ) first generate pyramidal neurons and then astrocytes. We applied novel piggyBac transposase lineage tracking methods to fate-map progenitor populations positive for Nestin or glutamate and aspartate transpoter (GLAST) promoter activities in the rat neocortex. GLAST+ and Nestin+ progenitors at embryonic day 13 (E13) produce lineages containing similar rations of neurons and astrocytes. By E15, the GLAST+ progenitor population diverges significantly to produce lineages with 5-10-fold more astrocytes relative to neurons than generated by the Nestin+ population. To determine when birth-dated progeny within GLAST+ and Nestin+ populations diverge, we used a Cre/loxP fate-mapping system in which plasmids are lost after a cell division. By E18, birth-dated progeny of GLAST+ progenitors give rise to 2-3-fold more neocortical astrocytes than do Nestin+ progenitors. Finally, we used a multicolor clonal labeling method to show that the GLAST+ population labeled at E15 generates astrocyte progenitors that produce larger, spatially restricted, clonal clusters than the Nestin+ population. This study provides in vivo evidence that by mid-corticogenesis (E15), VZ progenitor populations have significantly diversified in terms of their potential to generate astrocytes and neurons.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA.
authors.forename: Faez
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Siddiqi
authors.forename: Fuyi
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Abraham W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Aron
authors.forename: Christopher G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Fiondella
authors.forename: Komal
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.forename: Joseph J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: LoTurco
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D019070:Cell Lineage / Q000502:physiology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D018274:Electroporation; D027341:Excitatory Amino Acid Transporter 1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D057809:HEK293 Cells; D006801:Humans; D019426:Integrases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D019579:Neocortex / Q000196:embryology* / Q000502:physiology*; D064231:Nestin / Q000378:metabolism*; D058953:Neural Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D055495:Neurogenesis / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D017966:Pyramidal Cells / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D019895:Transposases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D027341:Excitatory Amino Acid Transporter 1; C577486:Nes protein, rat; D064231:Nestin; C493392:Slc1a3 protein, rat; C045073:Cre recombinase; D019426:Integrases; D019895:Transposases
keywords: Cre/loxP; fate specification; lineage tracing; neocortex; piggyBac transposon system