The expression and activity of β-catenin in the thalamus and its projections to the cerebral cortex in the mouse embryo.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The mammalian thalamus relays sensory information from the periphery to the cerebral cortex for cognitive processing via the thalamocortical tract. The thalamocortical tract forms during embryonic development controlled by mechanisms that are not fully understood. β-catenin is a nuclear and cytosolic protein that transduces signals from secreted signaling molecules to regulate both cell motility via the cytoskeleton and gene expression in the nucleus. In this study we tested whether β-catenin is likely to play a role in thalamocortical connectivity by examining its expression and activity in developing thalamic neurons and their axons.

Results

At embryonic day (E)15.5, the time when thalamocortical axonal projections are forming, we found that the thalamus is a si

SUBMITTER: Pratt T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3347985 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature