title: Characterization of Olig2 expression during cerebellar development.
abstract: The cerebellum is comprised of multiple GABAergic neuron subtypes whose complex interaction is central to its function. The molecular mechanisms underlying the diversity of the phenotypes of these neurons remain unclear. Transcription factors play important roles in many aspects of neural development from cell fate determination to neuronal maturation and maintenance of their phenotypes. Finding the fate determinants of each neuronal subtype would enable more detailed investigation of the mechanisms underlying the diversification of neurons. Previous work revealed many transcription factors that are expressed in the cerebellar ventricular zone, the origin of cerebellar GABAergic neurons during development, but definitive factors for each subtype of cerebellar GABAergic neurons remain unknown. Here, we report the expression pattern of basic-helix-loop-helix transcription factor Olig2 in the embryonic cerebellum. Olig2 is known to be involved in the development of not only oligodendrocytes but also some neurons. Immunohistochemistry revealed that Olig2 is expressed in progenitors for GABAergic neurons during embryonic day (E) 11.5 and E13.5, the peak period of Purkinje cell generation. Furthermore, co-immunostaining of several markers with Olig2 at E12.5 revealed that the Olig2-positive population consists of both neurogenic progenitors and nascent neurons. Olig2 is mostly co-expressed with the proneural transcription factors Ngn1/2 and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p57(KIP2) that are involved in cell cycle exit. Olig2-positive cells also express neural transcription factor NeuroD1, important for neuronal maturation, but not Corl2, the earliest marker for Purkinje cells. This expression pattern suggests that Olig2 may have an important role in the early stage of Purkinje cell development.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Cellular Biology, National Institute of Neuroscience, NCNP, 4-1-1 Ogawa-Higashi, Kodaira, Tokyo 187-8502, Japan; Department of Physics, Major in Integrative Bioscience and Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University, 3-4-1 Okubo, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169-8555, Japan.
authors.forename: Yusuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Seto
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Major in Integrative Bioscience and Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University, 3-4-1 Okubo, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169-8555, Japan; Waseda Bioscience Research Institute in Singapore, Waseda University, 11 Biopolis Way, #05-01/02, Helios, Singapore 138667, Republic of Singapore.
authors.forename: Shin'ichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ishiwata
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Cellular Biology, National Institute of Neuroscience, NCNP, 4-1-1 Ogawa-Higashi, Kodaira, Tokyo 187-8502, Japan. Electronic address: hoshino@ncnp.go.jp.
authors.forename: Mikio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hoshino
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000196:embryology* / Q000378:metabolism; D050761:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p57 / Q000378:metabolism; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000378:metabolism; D059330:GABAergic Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D051379:Mice; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D000076104:Oligodendrocyte Transcription Factor 2; D009836:Oligodendroglia / Q000378:metabolism; D011689:Purkinje Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D050761:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p57; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D000076104:Oligodendrocyte Transcription Factor 2; D012097:Repressor Proteins; C493965:Cdkn1c protein, mouse; C532058:Corl2 protein, mouse; C501008:Neurod1 protein, mouse; C512773:Olig2 protein, mouse
keywords: Cerebellum; GABAergic; Olig2; Purkinje cell; Transcription factor; Ventricular zone