Dual role for Islet-1 in promoting striatonigral and repressing striatopallidal genetic programs to specify striatonigral cell identity.

ABSTRACT: Striatal projection neurons comprise two populations of striatonigral and striatopallidal neurons. These two neuronal populations play distinct roles in controlling movement-related functions in the basal ganglia circuits. An important issue is how striatal progenitors are developmentally specified into these two distinct neuronal populations. In the present study, we characterized the function of Islet-1 (Isl1), a LIM-homeodomain transcription factor, in striatal development. Genetic fate mapping showed that Isl1(+) progeny specifically developed into a subpopulation of striatonigral neurons that transiently expressed Isl1. In Nestin-Cre;Isl1(f/f) KO mouse brain, differentiation of striatonigral neurons was defective, as evidenced by decreased expression of striatonigral-enriched genes, i

SUBMITTER: Lu KM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3890800 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature