Pediatrics and Rare Diseases Group, Sanford Research, Sioux Falls, SD 57104, USA.
Basic Biomedical Sciences, Sanford School of Medicine, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD 57069, USA.
Cells. 2020 Dec 22;10(1):3. doi: 10.3390/cells10010003.
Radial neuron migration in the developing cerebral cortex is a complex journey, starting in the germinal zones and ending in the cortical plate. In mice, migratory distances can reach several hundreds of microns, or millimeters in humans. Along the migratory path, radially migrating neurons slither through cellularly dense and complex territories before they reach their final destination in the cortical plate. This task is facilitated by radial glia, the neural stem cells of the developing cortex. Indeed, radial glia have a unique bipolar morphology, enabling them to serve as guides for neuronal migration. The key guiding structure of radial glia is the basal process, which traverses the entire thickness of the developing cortex. Neurons recognize the basal process as their guide and maintain physical interactions with this structure until the end of migration. Thus, the radial glia basal process plays a key role during radial migration. In this review, we highlight the pathways enabling neuron-basal process interactions during migration, as well as the known mechanisms regulating the morphology of the radial glia basal process. Throughout, we describe how dysregulation of these interactions and of basal process morphology can have profound effects on cortical development, and therefore lead to neurodevelopmental diseases.
放射状神经元在发育中的大脑皮层中的迁移是一个复杂的过程，始于生发区并终止于皮质板。在小鼠中，迁移距离可以达到数百微米，而在人类中则可以达到几毫米。在迁移过程中，放射状迁移的神经元在到达皮质板的最终目的地之前，必须穿过细胞密集且复杂的区域。放射状胶质细胞（发育中皮层的神经干细胞）促进了这一过程。事实上，放射状胶质细胞具有独特的双极形态，使它们能够作为神经元迁移的向导。放射状胶质细胞的关键导向结构是基底突，它贯穿发育中皮层的整个厚度。神经元将基底突识别为其导向，并与该结构保持物理相互作用，直到迁移结束。因此，放射状胶质细胞的基底突在放射状迁移中起着关键作用。在这篇综述中，我们强调了在迁移过程中神经元与基底突相互作用的途径，以及调节放射状胶质细胞基底突形态的已知机制。我们描述了这些相互作用和基底突形态的失调如何对皮质发育产生深远影响，并因此导致神经发育疾病。
