Pattern formation in the cerebellum of murine embryonic stem cell chimeras

The cerebellar cortex is subdivided into an elaborate, stereotyped array of transverse zones and parasagittal stripes. It has been speculated that (i) all Purkinje cells derive from 10 to 20 precursors allocated early in embryogenesis and (ii) that pattern formation is based on cell lineage restriction in the founder pool. These hypotheses have been tested by clonal analysis of embryonic stem cell chimeras. Neither speculation is supported: the analysis suggests that Purkinje cells derive from a founder population of > 102 precursors, and that neither cerebellar transverse developmental boundaries nor parasagittal stripes have a clonal origin. We conclude that early lineage restriction plays no role in cerebellar pattern formation.