title: Classic Cadherins Mediate Selective Intracortical Circuit Formation in the Mouse Neocortex.
abstract: Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the formation of selective intracortical circuitry is one of the important questions in neuroscience research. "Barrel nets" are recently identified intracortical axonal trajectories derived from layer 2/3 neurons in layer 4 of the primary somatosensory (barrel) cortex. Axons of layer 2/3 neurons are preferentially distributed in the septal regions of layer 4 of the barrel cortex, where they show whisker-related patterns. Because cadherins have been viewed as potential candidates that mediate the formation of selective neuronal circuits, here we examined the role of cadherins in the formation of barrel nets. We disrupted the function of cadherins by expressing dominant-negative cadherin (dn-cadherin) using in utero electroporation and found that barrel nets were severely disrupted. Confocal microscopic analysis revealed that expression of dn-cadherin reduced the density of axons in septal regions in layer 4 of the barrel cortex. We also found that cadherins were important for the formation, rather than the maintenance, of barrel nets. Our results uncover an important role of cadherins in the formation of local intracortical circuitry in the neocortex.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biophysical Genetics, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University, Ishikawa 920-8640, Japan Brain/Liver Interface Medicine Research Center, Kanazawa University, Ishikawa 920-8640, Japan Department of Molecular and Systems Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.
authors.forename: Mayu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wakimoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Systems Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.
authors.forename: Keisuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sehara
authors.affiliation: Department of Biophysical Genetics, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University, Ishikawa 920-8640, Japan Brain/Liver Interface Medicine Research Center, Kanazawa University, Ishikawa 920-8640, Japan Department of Molecular and Systems Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.
authors.forename: Haruka
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ebisu
authors.affiliation: Department of Biophysical Genetics, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University, Ishikawa 920-8640, Japan Brain/Liver Interface Medicine Research Center, Kanazawa University, Ishikawa 920-8640, Japan Department of Molecular and Systems Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hoshiba
authors.affiliation: Department of Biophysical Genetics, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University, Ishikawa 920-8640, Japan Brain/Liver Interface Medicine Research Center, Kanazawa University, Ishikawa 920-8640, Japan.
authors.forename: Shinichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tsunoda
authors.affiliation: Department of Biophysical Genetics, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University, Ishikawa 920-8640, Japan Brain/Liver Interface Medicine Research Center, Kanazawa University, Ishikawa 920-8640, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshie
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ichikawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Biophysical Genetics, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University, Ishikawa 920-8640, Japan Brain/Liver Interface Medicine Research Center, Kanazawa University, Ishikawa 920-8640, Japan Department of Molecular and Systems Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kawasaki
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000378:metabolism; D015820:Cadherins / Q000378:metabolism*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D018274:Electroporation; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D017729:Presynaptic Terminals / Q000378:metabolism; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D015820:Cadherins; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins
keywords: barrel nets; in utero electroporation; intracortical circuit; layer 2/3 neurons; somatosensory cortex