Foxg1confines Cajal–Retzius Neuronogenesis and Hippocampal
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The Journal of Neuroscience, April 27, 2005 • 25(17):4435–4441 • 4435 Development/Plasticity/Repair Foxg1 Confines Cajal–Retzius Neuronogenesis and Hippocampal Morphogenesis to the Dorsomedial Pallium Luca Muzio and Antonello Mallamaci Department of Biological and Technological Research, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, 20132 Milan, Italy It has been suggested that cerebral cortex arealization relies on positional values imparted to early cortical neuroblasts by transcription factor genes expressed within the pallial field in graded ways. Foxg1, encoding for one of these factors, previously was reported to be necessary for basal ganglia morphogenesis, proper tuning of cortical neuronal differentiation rates, and the switching of cortical neuro- blasts from early generation of primordial plexiform layer to late production of cortical plate. Being expressed along a rostral/lateral high- to-caudal/medial low gradient, Foxg1, moreover, could contribute to shaping the cortical areal profile as a repressor of caudomedial fates. Wetestedthispredictionbyavarietyofapproachesandfoundthatitwascorrect.WefoundthatoverproductionofCajal–Retziusneurons characterizing Foxg1Ϫ/Ϫ mutants does not arise specifically from blockage of laminar histogenetic progression of neocortical neuro- blasts, as reported previously, but rather reflects lateral-to-medial repatterning of their cortical primordium. Even if lacking a neocortical plate, Foxg1Ϫ/Ϫ embryos give rise to structures, which, for molecular properties and birthdating profile, are highly reminiscent of hippocampal plate and dentate blade. Remarkably, in the absence of Foxg1, additional inactivation of the medial fates promoter Emx2, although not suppressing cortical specification, conversely rescues overproduction of Reelin on neurons. Key words: Foxg1; Emx2; Wnt types; hippocampus; neocortex; Cajal–Retzius cells Introduction neuronogenesis (Xuan et al., 1995; Dou et al., 1999; Seoane et al., Areal specification of cortical neurons is an extremely complex 2004). More recently, Hanashima et al. (2004) reported that, in task, currently the subject of intensive experimental investiga- the absence of this gene, all cortical neurons express Reelin (Reln), tion. Such specification begins with the areal commitment of a hallmark of preplate Cajal–Retzius cells, and the cortical neu- neuronal progenitors and is completed with the migration of rons are negative for a large panel of markers peculiar to the newborn neurons from periventricular layers to their final lami- cortical plate. On the basis of that finding, they proposed that nar destination. Genetic control of this process is very sophisti- Foxg1 is a key promoter of neocortical lamination, essential to cated. Before the arrival of the thalamocortical radiation, it neocortical neuroblasts in switching from preplate neuronogen- mainly relies on a complex interplay among diffusible ligands, esis to cortical plate neuronogenesis. Remarkably, in the wild- released by signaling centers at the borders of the cortical mor- type telencephalon, Reln on neurons are clustered tightly in the phogenetic field, and transcription factor genes, expressed by archicortex and arranged loosely in the neocortex and paleocor- periventricular neuronal progenitors, gradually along the main tex, which reflects early confinement of their generation to the coordinate axes of this field (Bishop et al., 2000; Mallamaci et al., dorsomedial-most pallial primordium (Meyer et al., 2002; 2000; Bulchand et al., 2001; Fukuchi-Shimogori and Grove, 2001, Takiguchi-Hayashi et al., 2004). Thus if the Foxg1 gradient is 2003; Monuki et al., 2001; Muzio et al., 2002a, 2005; Ohkubo et relevant to cortical arealization, overproduction of Reln on neu- al., 2002; Theil et al., 2002; Vyas et al., 2003; Hamasaki et al., 2004; rons occurring in Foxg1 Ϫ / Ϫ mutants may not be attributable to Shimogori et al., 2004). disrupted laminar histogenetic progression of their neocortical Among telencephalic transcription factor genes, there is neuroblasts but, rather, may stem from large-scale lateral-to- Foxg1, expressed from less than embryonic day 9.5 (E9.5) along a medial repatterning of their cortical primordium. In support of cortical rostral/lateral high-to-caudal/medial low gradient and this interpretation, we noticed that, of the cortical plate markers shown to be crucial for relevant aspects of CNS development, found to be absent by Hanashima et al. (2004), Foxp2, ROR, and including basal ganglia morphogenesis and repression of cortical Otx1 normally are confined to the neocortical plate, and Foxp1 is absent in the medial-most archicortical plate and dentate blade (Frantz et al., 1994; Ferland et al., 2003; Nakagawa and O’Leary, Received Nov. 24, 2004; revised March 17, 2005; accepted March 19, 2005. ThisworkwasfundedbyEuropeanUnionGrantsQLG3-CT-2000-00158andQLG3-CT-2000-01625.WethankDrs. 2003). Thus we tested our hypothesis by a variety of experimental Susan McConnell, Peter Gruss, and H. Westphal for providing us with Foxg1, Emx2, and Lhx2 null founders, approaches and found that it was correct. In the absence of Foxg1, respectively. the entire cortical field is specified as cortical hem and archicor- Correspondence should be addressed to Antonello Mallamaci, Department of Biological and Technological Re- tex, only a fraction of cortical neurons expresses Reln, and hip- search, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, via Olgettina 58, 20132 Milan, Italy. E-mail: [email protected]. DOI:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4804-04.2005 pocampal plate-like and dentate blade-like structures develop in Copyright © 2005 Society for Neuroscience 0270-6474/05/254435-07$15.00/0 place of the missing neocortical plate. 4436 • J. Neurosci., April 27, 2005 • 25(17):4435–4441 Muzio and Mallamaci • Foxg1 Represses Hippocampal Development Materials and Methods Animal husbandry and embryo harvesting. Brains for organotypic cultures were obtained from embryos of the C57BL/6 strain. Mutant embryos were generated by starting from Foxg1 null (He´bert and McConnell, 2000) Emx2 null (Pellegrini et al., 1996), and Lhx2 null (Porter et al., 1997) founders via appropriate breeding schemes. Parents of Foxg1Ϫ/Ϫ embryos were derived from founders of C57BL/6/129Sv mixed back- ground through at least five passages of backcross to the C57BL/6 strain. Foxg1Ϫ/ϩEmx2Ϫ/ϩ parents of Foxg1Ϫ/ϪEmx2Ϫ/Ϫ embryos were ob- tained by crossing Foxg1Ϫ/ϩ and Emx2Ϫ/ϩ grandparents, which origi- nated from founders of C57BL/6/129Sv mixed background through three and at least 10 passages of backcross to the C57BL/6 strain, respec- tively. Finally, Foxg1Ϫ/ϩEmxϪ/ϩ parents of Foxg1Ϫ/ϪLhx2Ϫ/Ϫ embryos were obtained by crossing Foxg1Ϫ/ϩ and Lhx2Ϫ/ϩ grandparents, which originated from founders of C57BL/6/129Sv mixed background through five and two passages of backcross to the C57BL/6 strain, respectively. Animal husbandry and embryo harvesting were performed in compli- ance with European laws [European Communities Council Directive of November 24, 1986 (86/609/EEC)] and according to the guidelines of the H San Raffaele Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. Mouse genotyping. Mutant mice were genotyped by PCR as follows. For Emx2 mutants, the oligos include the following: E2F,5Ј-CAC AAG TCC CGA GAG TTT CCT TTT GCA CAA CG-3Ј, E2R/WT,5Ј-ACC Figure1. ArealcommitmentofReln.ThedistributionofimmunoreactivityagainstBrdUand TGA GTT TCC GTA AGA CTG AGA CTG TGA GC-3Ј, and E2R/KO, Reln on radial sections of organotypic explants dissected out from wild-type, medial (a, c), and 5Ј-ACT TCC TGA CTA GGG GAG GAG TAG AAG GTG G-3Ј; the lateral(b,d)corticalprimordiaatE11.5(a,b)andE13.5(c,d)andallowedtodevelopinvitroup program includes 98°C for 5 min (1ϫ), 98°C for 1 min and 72°C for 2 to the equivalent of E16.5 in the presence of saturating BrdU is shown. Marginal is to the top, min (5ϫ), 94°C for 1 min and 72°C for 2 min (30ϫ), and 72°C for 10 min andventricularistothebottom.FilledandopenarrowheadspointtoReln on neuronslabeledor (1ϫ); the PCR products include 180 bp (wild-type allele) and 340 bp not labeled by BrdU, respectively. Scale bar, 100 m. (null allele). For Foxg1 mutants, the oligos include the following: Bf1– F25,5Ј-GCC GCC CCC CGA CGC CTG GGT GAT G-3Ј, Bf1–R159, 5Ј-TGG TGG TGG TGA TGA TGA TGG TGA TGC TGG-3Ј, and Bf1– GenBank accession number NM010710.1; nucleotides 1128–1748), Rcre222,5Ј-ATA ATC GCG AAC ATC TTC AGG TTC TGC GGG-3Ј; the Lhx9 (plasmid pBSK-Lhx9; a gift from S. Bertuzzi, Washington, DC), program includes 98°C for 5 min (1ϫ), 98°C for 1 min, 65°C for 1 min, Prox1 (plasmid Prox1/300; a gift from E. Grove, Chicago, IL), Reln (plas- and 72°C for 1.5 min (5ϫ); 94°C for 1 min, 65°C for 1 min, and 72°C for mid BS6; a gift from G. D’Arcangelo, Houston, TX), Steel (PCR-ampli- 1.5 min (30ϫ); and 72°C for 10 min (1ϫ). The PCR products include 186 fied; GenBank accession number NM013598; nucleotides 1118–3698), bp (wild-type allele) and 220 bp (null allele). For Lhx2 mutants, the oligos Tbr2 (plasmid D12; a gift from A. Bulfone, Milan, Italy), Ttr (PCR- include the following: L2-F,5Ј-GGC TCC GGC CAT CAG CTC CGC amplified; GenBank accession number D00071; nucleotides 13–1484), CAT CGA C-3Ј, L2-R/WT,5Ј-GAG CAA AGT AGT GGA GAG TCA Wnt3a (PCR-amplified; GenBank accession number NM009522; nucle- GGT CTG TGG AC-3Ј, and L2-R/KON,5Ј-GCA GCG CAT CGC CTT otides 29–1451), Wnt5a (PCR-amplified; GenBank accession number CTA TCG CCT TCT TGA C-3Ј; the program includes 98°C for 5 min NT039598.1; nucleotides 1750730–1752109), and Wnt8b (PCR-ampli- (1ϫ), 98°C for 1 min, 62°C for 1 min, and 72°C for 1.5 min (5ϫ); 94°C fied; GenBank accession numbers NM01172, AW488375, and for 1 min, 60°C for 1 min, and 72°C for 1.5 min (30ϫ); and 72°C for 10 AA874401; 1370 bp fragment encompassing the last 488 bp of coding min (1ϫ). The PCR products include 380 bp (wild-type allele) and 600 sequence plus the first 882 bp of the 3Ј-UTR).