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Updated: May 3, 2026

Ex Vivo Culture of Chick Cerebellar Slices and Spatially Targeted Electroporation of Granule Cell Precursors
Published on: December 14, 2015
Temporal identity transition from Purkinje cell progenitors to GABAergic interneuron progenitors in the cerebellum
Yusuke Seto1, Tomoya Nakatani2, Norihisa Masuyama3
11] Department of Biochemistry and Cellular Biology, National Institute of Neuroscience, NCNP, 4-1-1 Ogawa-Higashi, Kodaira, Tokyo 187-8502, Japan [2] Department of Physics, Major in Integrative Bioscience and Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University, 3-4-1 Okubo, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169-8555, Japan.
Abstract:
In the cerebellum, all GABAergic neurons are generated from the Ptf1a-expressing ventricular zone (Ptf1a domain). However, the machinery to produce different types of GABAergic neurons remains elusive. Here we show temporal regulation of distinct GABAergic neuron progenitors in the cerebellum. Within the Ptf1a domain at early stages, we find two subpopulations; dorsally and ventrally located progenitors that express Olig2 and Gsx1, respectively. Lineage tracing reveals the former are exclusively Purkinje cell progenitors (PCPs) and the latter Pax2-positive interneuron progenitors (PIPs). As development proceeds, PCPs gradually become PIPs starting from ventral to dorsal. In gain- and loss-of-function mutants for Gsx1 and Olig1/2, we observe abnormal transitioning from PCPs to PIPs at inappropriate developmental stages. Our findings suggest that the temporal identity transition of cerebellar GABAergic neuron progenitors from PCPs to PIPs is negatively regulated by Olig2 and positively by Gsx1, and contributes to understanding temporal control of neuronal progenitor identities.

