Regionalization of the developing forebrain: a comparison of FORSE-1, Dlx-2, and BF-1

The FORSE-1 monoclonal antibody (mAb) was generated using a strategy designed to produce mAbs against neuronal cell surface antigens that might be regulated by regionally restricted transcription factors in the developing CNS. To determine whether FORSE-1 has a labeling pattern similar to that of known transcription factors, the expression of BF-1 and Dlx-2 was examined by in situ hybridization on sections serial to those labeled with FORSE-1. We find a striking overlap between BF-1 and FORSE-1 in the telencephalon; both are expressed in the lateral but not the medial walls of the telencephalon, and the boundaries of expression are apparently identical. FORSE-1 staining is detected prior to BF-1 expression in the neural tube, however. FORSE-1 and Dlx-2 have very different patterns of expression in the forebrain, suggesting that regulation by Dlx-2 cannot by itself explain the distribution of FORSE-1. However, they share some sharp boundaries in the diencephalon. In addition, FORSE-1 identifies some previously unknown boundaries in the developing forebrain. These results indicate that a new cell surface marker can be used to subdivide the embryonic telencephalon and diencephalon into regions smaller than previously described, providing necessary complexity to the developmental patterning in the forebrain.