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Dissection and Isolation of Murine Glia from Multiple Central Nervous System Regions
Published on: June 4, 2020
Prospective isolation of functionally distinct radial glial subtypes--lineage and transcriptome analysis
Luisa Pinto1, Michael T Mader, Martin Irmler
1Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Institute of Stem Cell Research, Ingolstädter Landstr. 1, 85764 Neuherberg/Munich, Germany.
Molecular and Cellular Neurosciences
|March 29, 2008
Summary
Researchers identified two distinct radial glial cell types in the developing brain. One type directly forms neurons, while the other generates basal progenitors, revealing new insights into brain development and cell diversity.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Radial glia are known progenitors of neurons in the developing brain.
- Heterogeneity within radial glia regarding neurogenesis and self-renewal is established but molecular drivers are unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and characterize distinct radial glial subtypes co-existing during mid-neurogenesis.
- To elucidate the molecular differences between these subtypes and their progeny.
- To determine the lineage origin of basal progenitors.
Main Methods:
- Isolation of distinct radial glial subsets and their progeny from the developing cerebral cortex.
- Transcriptomic analysis of isolated radial glial subtypes.
- Comparison of transcriptomes from different developmental time points.
Main Results:
- Two co-existing radial glial subsets were identified: one directly neurogenic, the other non-neurogenic and generating Tbr2-positive basal precursors.
- Significant transcriptomic differences were observed between these radial glial subtypes.
- Transcriptomes of mid-neurogenesis radial glia differed markedly from those at the end of neurogenesis.
Conclusions:
- This study identifies the lineage origin of basal progenitors.
- It reveals molecular distinctions between directly neurogenic, self-renewing, and basal progenitor-generating radial glia.
- Provides a molecular basis for radial glial heterogeneity during cortical development.
