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Live Imaging of Mitosis in the Developing Mouse Embryonic Cortex
Published on: June 4, 2014
Mouse inscuteable induces apical-basal spindle orientation to facilitate intermediate progenitor generation in the
Maria Pia Postiglione1, Christoph Jüschke, Yunli Xie
1Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (IMBA), Dr Bohr Gasse 3-5, 1030 Vienna, Austria.
Neuron
|October 25, 2011
Summary
Oblique progenitor cell division, regulated by mouse Inscuteable (mInsc), is crucial for generating the correct number of neurons in the mammalian neocortex. Spindle orientation impacts indirect neurogenesis and lineage specification during brain development.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Mammalian neocortical neurons originate from progenitor cells in the ventricular zone.
- Progenitor divisions typically feature a mitotic spindle parallel to the ventricular surface, but oblique orientations also occur.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of mitotic spindle reorientation in mammalian neocortical progenitor cells.
- To determine the function of mouse Inscuteable (mInsc) in regulating spindle orientation and its impact on neurogenesis.
Main Methods:
- Conditional deletion and overexpression of mouse Inscuteable (mInsc) in cortical progenitors.
- Analysis of mitotic spindle orientation (oblique, vertical, parallel).
- Clonal analysis to assess the rate of indirect neurogenesis.
Main Results:
- Mutating mInsc significantly reduced oblique and vertical mitotic spindles.
- Overexpression of mInsc increased the frequency of oblique and vertical spindles.
- Oblique divisions were found to be essential for producing the correct number of neurons across all cortical layers.
- Spindle orientation influenced the rate of indirect neurogenesis, where progenitors generate basal progenitors that further divide.
Conclusions:
- Mitotic spindle orientation in progenitor cells is a critical factor for proper lineage specification in the developing mammalian brain.
- mInsc plays a key role in regulating spindle orientation during cortical development.
