Abstract
Mutations in the gene for the transcription factor, Pax6, induce marked developmental abnormalities in the CNS and the eye, but the cellular mechanisms that underlie the phenotype are unknown. We have examined the adhesive properties of cells from the developing forebrain in Small eye, the Pax6 mutant mouse. We have found that the segregation normally observed in aggregates of cortical and striatal cells in an in vitro assay is lost in Small eye. This correlates with an alteration of in vivo expression of the homophilic adhesion molecule, R-cadherin. Moreover, the boundary between cortical and striatal regions of the telencephalon is dramatically altered in Small eye: radial glial fascicles do not form at the border, and the normal expression of R-cadherin and tenascin-C at the border is lost. These data suggest a link between the transcription factor, Pax6, R-cadherin expression, cellular adhesion and boundary formation between developing forebrain regions.
Publication types
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Comparative Study
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
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Animals
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Cadherins / biosynthesis*
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Cell Aggregation
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Cerebral Cortex / cytology
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Cerebral Cortex / embryology
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Corpus Striatum / cytology
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Corpus Striatum / embryology
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Crosses, Genetic
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DNA-Binding Proteins / biosynthesis
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DNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism*
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Embryonic and Fetal Development / physiology
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Eye Proteins
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Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental*
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Heterozygote
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Homeodomain Proteins*
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Homozygote
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Mice
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Mice, Inbred C57BL
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Mice, Inbred DBA
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Mice, Mutant Strains
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Neurons / cytology
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Neurons / physiology*
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PAX6 Transcription Factor
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Paired Box Transcription Factors
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Prosencephalon / embryology*
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Repressor Proteins
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Telencephalon / cytology
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Telencephalon / embryology
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Transcription Factors / metabolism
Substances
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Cadherins
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DNA-Binding Proteins
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Eye Proteins
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Homeodomain Proteins
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PAX6 Transcription Factor
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Paired Box Transcription Factors
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Pax6 protein, mouse
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R-cadherin
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Repressor Proteins
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Transcription Factors