Granule cell dispersion is restricted across transverse boundaries in mouse chimeras

The granular layer of the developing and adult cerebellum is marked by the presence of several transverse boundaries, revealed in gene expression patterns or as a consequence of genetic mutations. It is unclear whether these boundaries represent fundamental differences between granule cell populations or if they are a secondary response to regional differences in the underlying Purkinje cells. One possibility is that boundaries mark different spatial domains of granule cells in a lineage-dependent fashion. To test this hypothesis, we have analysed a series of murine embryonic stem cell chimeras marked by the constitutive expression of beta-galactosidase in donor granule cells. The chimeras show a consistent spatial restriction boundary, located in the granular layer of lobule VI in the vermis and extending laterally into crus I of the hemispheres. A second boundary was found separating lobules IX and X in the vermis. No correlation was found between the genotypes of molecular layer interneurons and the underlying granule cells, suggesting that they arise independently. No transverse boundaries were observed for the molecular layer interneurons, consistent with the hypothesis that they are not generated from precursors in the external granular layer. These results indicate that the granular layer of the cerebellum comprises cellular domains with different histories separated by consistent spatial restriction boundaries.