Absence of LPA1 signaling results in defective cortical development

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a simple phospholipid with extracellular signaling properties mediated by specific G protein-coupled receptors. At least 2 LPA receptors, LPA(1) and LPA(2), are expressed in the developing brain, the former enriched in the neurogenic ventricular zone (VZ), suggesting a normal role in neurogenesis. Despite numerous studies reporting the effects of exogenous LPA using in vitro neural models, the first LPA(1) loss-of-function mutants reported did not show gross cerebral cortical defects in the 50% that survived perinatal demise. Here, we report a role for LPA(1) in cortical neural precursors resulting from analysis of a variant of a previously characterized LPA(1)-null mutant that arose spontaneously during colony expansion. These LPA(1)-null mice, termed maLPA(1), exhibit almost complete perinatal viability and show a reduced VZ, altered neuronal markers, and increased cortical cell death that results in a loss of cortical layer cellularity in adults. These data support LPA(1) function in normal cortical development and suggest that the presence of genetic modifiers of LPA(1) influences cerebral cortical development.