Changing patterns of gene expression define four stages of cerebellar granule neuron differentiation.

Among CNS neuronal populations, the cerebellar granule cell provides a simple model for analysing the molecular regulation of CNS neurogenesis. In this study, polyclonal antisera raised against immature granule cell precursors, purified from early postnatal mouse cerebellum, were used to isolate 39 unique cDNA clones from a lambda gt11 cDNA expression library made from the same cell population. Northern blot analysis revealed developmental stage and tissue-specific expression of 28 of the clones. In situ localization of mRNAs encoded by these novel cDNAs, as well as those encoding the axonal glycoprotein TAG-1 and the alpha 6 subunit of the GABAA receptor, reveal four distinct stages in cerebellar granule cell differentiation. The developmentally transient and spatially restricted expression of clones GC9 and GC44 identify a previously unrecognized step in cerebellar histogenesis.