Reelin is a detachment signal in tangential chain-migration during postnatal neurogenesis

• DOI: 10.1038/nn923
• Publication Date: 2002-09-27T13:37:14Z
• Authors: Iris Hack; Mircea Bancila; Karine Loulier; Patrick Carroll; Harold Cremer
• Keywords: MESH: Signal Transduction; MESH: Cell Differentiation; MESH: Extracellular Matrix Proteins; 0301 basic medicine; MESH: Mice, Transgenic; Cell Adhesion Molecules, Neuronal; MESH: Mice, Inbred BALB C; MESH: Neurons; Mice, Transgenic; Nerve Tissue Proteins; [SDV.BC]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Cellular Biology; MESH: Animals, Newborn; MESH: Coculture Techniques; MESH: Prosencephalon; Mice; Mice, Neurologic Mutants; 03 medical and health sciences; Prosencephalon; Cell Movement; Lateral Ventricles; MESH: Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; Animals; MESH: Animals; Brain Tissue Transplantation; [SDV.NEU] Life Sciences [q-bio]/Neurons and Cognition [q-bio.NC]; MESH: Nerve Tissue Proteins; MESH: Serine Endopeptidases; [SDV.BC] Life Sciences [q-bio]/Cellular Biology; MESH: Mice; MESH: Cell Movement; MESH: Lateral Ventricles; MESH: Mice, Neurologic Mutants; MESH: Cell Adhesion Molecules, Neuronal; Neurons; Extracellular Matrix Proteins; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Serine Endopeptidases; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; Cell Differentiation; Coculture Techniques; MESH: COS Cells; Reelin Protein; Animals, Newborn; COS Cells; MESH: Brain Tissue Transplantation; [SDV.NEU]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Neurons and Cognition [q-bio.NC]

During development, Reelin acts on migrating neuronal precursors and controls correct cell positioning in the cortex and other brain structures by a hitherto unidentified mechanism. Here we show that in the postnatal mouse brain, Reelin acts as a detachment signal for chain-migrating interneuron precursors in the olfactory bulb. Neuronal precursors cultured in Matrigel detached from chains and migrated individually in the presence of exogenously added Reelin protein or Reelin-expressing brain tissues. Furthermore, we found that in reeler mutant mice, neuronal precursors accumulated in the olfactory bulb and remained in clusters, indicating that they did not change from tangential chain-migration to radial individual migration. Our data provide direct evidence that Reelin acts as a detachment signal, but not a stop or guidance cue. We propose that Reelin may have comparable functions during development.