Zhou C, Tsai S Y, Tsai M J
Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Program in Developmental Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.
Genes Dev. 2001 Aug 15;15(16):2054-9. doi: 10.1101/gad.913601.
Regionalization of the cerebral cortex is thought to involve two phases: an early regionalization phase and a later refinement phase. It has been shown that early regionalization of the neocortex does not require thalamic inputs and is regulated by intrinsic factors. Recently, two such intrinsic factors, Pax6 and Emx2, have been identified. In this study, we identified COUP-TFI as a regulatory factor for early neocortical regionalization. The spatial and temporal expression pattern of COUP-TFI suggested a role in specification of the neocortex and in maintaining cortical identity. Altered region-specific expression of marker genes in the cortex as well as miswired area-specific connections between the cortex and the thalamus in COUP-TFI null mice indicate COUP-TFI plays a critical role in regulating early regionalization. Our results substantiate that COUP-TFI, an intrinsic factor, may work in concert with Pax6 and Emx2 to specify neocortical identity.
早期区域化阶段和后期精细化阶段。研究表明，新皮层的早期区域化不需要丘脑输入，而是由内在因素调节。最近，已鉴定出两个这样的内在因素，即Pax6和Emx2。在本研究中，我们鉴定出COUP-TFI是早期新皮层区域化的调节因子。COUP-TFI的时空表达模式表明其在新皮层的特化以及维持皮层特征方面发挥作用。在COUP-TFI基因敲除小鼠中，皮层中标记基因的区域特异性表达改变以及皮层与丘脑之间区域特异性连接的布线错误表明COUP-TFI在调节早期区域化中起关键作用。我们的结果证实，作为一种内在因素，COUP-TFI可能与Pax6和Emx2协同作用来确定新皮层特征。
