The role of Pax6 in restricting cell migration between developing cortex and basal ganglia

It is not clear to what extent restricted cell migration contributes to patterning of the developing telencephalon, since both restricted and widespread cell migration have been observed. Here, we have analysed dorso-ventral cell migration in the telencephalon of Pax6 mutant mice (Small Eye). The transcription factor Pax6 is expressed in the dorsal telencephalon, the cerebral cortex. Focal injections of adenoviral vectors containing the green fluorescent protein were used to follow and quantify cell movements between two adjacent regions in the developing telencephalon, the cerebral cortex and the ganglionic eminence (the prospective basal ganglia). The analysis in wild-type mice confirmed that the cortico-striatal boundary acts as a semipermeable filter and allows a proportion of cells from the ganglionic eminence to invade the cortex, but not vice versa. Ventro-dorsal cell migration was strongly enhanced in the Pax6 mutant. An essential function of Pax6 in the regionalisation of the telencephalon is then to limit the invasion of the cortex by cells originating in the ganglionic eminence. Cortical cells, however, remain confined to the cortex in the Pax6 mutant. Thus, dorsal and ventral cells are restricted to their respective territories by distinct mechanisms.