Systematic widespread clonal organization in cerebral cortex

Cell lineage analysis in the cortex has revealed two clonal patterns, clustered and widespread clones. To determine the relationship of these patterns, progenitor cells were infected with a retroviral library encoding alkaline phosphatase, and cortical sibling cells were identified using PCR. Clones labeled at E15 consisted of single cells or small cells clusters (52%) or of widespread cells (48%). However, widespread clones consisted of multiple neuronal or glial cell types, spaced systematically at 2-3 mm intervals. The data suggest that migratory multipotential progenitors divide asymmetrically at intervals defined by cell cycle length, producing single cells or clusters of cells in different cortical regions. Transition from multipotentiality to more restricted potential may correspond to changes in migratory behavior.