Interkinetic nuclear movement in the ventricular zone of the cortex
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Updated: May 29, 2026

Cortical Neurogenesis: Transitioning from Advances in the Laboratory to Cell-Based Therapies
Published on: July 19, 2007
Orly Reiner1, Tamar Sapir, Gabi Gerlitz
1Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel. orly.reiner@weizmann.ac.il
Abstract:
The nuclei of neuroepithelial cells move along the apicobasal axis in synchronization with their cell cycle status. This motility is known as interkinetic nuclear movement. We discuss here the importance of cytoskeleton organization, the centrosome, molecular motors, cell polarity proteins, and their regulators in controlling and maintaining this typical behavior. Furthermore, due to the tight linkage between cell proliferation, cell cycle, and nuclear motility, we speculate that interkinetic nuclear movement is likely to be affected in the pathophysiology of microcephaly, where the brain size is markedly reduced.
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