Cell migration along glial fibers in dissociated cell culture of the frog optic tectum.

Migration of neurons along radial glial fibers is associated with the development of laminated regions in the mammalian brain. We examined cell interactions in dissociated cell cultures of the frog optic tectum, which is well laminated. Using time-lapse photography, we observed active migration of neuron-like cells along strands of radial glia-like cells, which were identified by indirect immunocytochemical staining of the glial fibrillary acidic protein. The migration patterns we observed in our cultures are strikingly similar to those found in mammalian cultures. We hypothesize that this type of neuron-glia interaction is involved in the constitution of laminae in the frog optic tectum.