Genetic Analysis of Anterior–Posterior Expression Gradients in the Developing Mammalian Forebrain

• Published in: Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. 1991) Vol. 17; no. 9; pp. 2108 - 2122
• Main Authors: Kudo, Lili C., Karsten, Stanislav L., Chen, Ju, Levitt, Pat, Geschwind, Daniel H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Oxford University Press 01.09.2007; Oxford Publishing Limited (England)
• Subjects: Animals; Blotting, Northern; cortical development; Databases, Genetic; DNA, Complementary - biosynthesis; DNA, Complementary - genetics; Fhl1; Fhl2; gene expression; Immunohistochemistry; In Situ Hybridization; Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; Lac Operon - genetics; LIM Domain Proteins; Mice; Mice, Knockout; microarray; Muscle Proteins - genetics; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; Phenotype; Prosencephalon - growth & development; Prosencephalon - metabolism; protomap; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA - biosynthesis; RNA - genetics; Signal Transduction - genetics; Signal Transduction - physiology; Transcription Factors - genetics; Transcription Factors - physiology; Wnt Proteins - metabolism; Fhl2; microarray; cortical development; Fhl1; gene expression; protomap
• ISSN: 1047-3211; 1460-2199
• DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhl118

Intrinsic regulatory factors play critical roles in early cortical patterning, including the development of the anteroposterior (A-P) axis. To identify genes that are differentially expressed along the A-P axis of the developing cerebral cortex, we analyzed gene expression in presumptive frontal, parietal, and occipital cerebral walls of E12.5 mouse using complementary DNA microarrays. We identified 106 genes, including expressed sequence tags (ESTs), expressed in an A-P gradient in the embryonic brain and screened 88 by in situ hybridization for confirmation. Central nervous system (CNS) expression patterns of many of these genes were previously unknown. Others, such as Sfrp1, CoupTF1, and FABP7, were expressed in a manner consistent with previous studies, providing independent confirmation. Two related transcription factors, previously not implicated in CNS development, Fhl1 and Fhl2, were observed to be enriched in posterior and anterior telencephalon, respectively. We studied patterning gradients in Fhl1 knockout mice but observed no changes in gene expression related to A-P regionalization in the Fhl1 knockout mice. These data provide an important set of new candidates for studies of cortical patterning and maturation.