Original Paper

Microarray Analysis of the Fetal Hippocampus in the Emx2 Mutant
Thomas Skutella^a, Sabine Conrad^a, Jens Hooge^a, Michael Bonin^b, Gonzalo Alvarez-Bolado<sup>c

a</sup>Institute of Anatomy, Division Tissue Engineering, Tübingen University School of Medicine,
^bDepartment of Medical Genetics, Microarray Facility, Tübingen University School of Medicine, Tübingen, and
^cMax Planck Institute of Experimental Endocrinology, Hannover, Germany

Address of Corresponding Author

Dev Neurosci 2007;29:28-47 (DOI: 10.1159/000096209)

  Key Words

• Angiogenesis
• Cajal-Retzius cells
• Dentate gyrus
• Outer marginal zone

  Abstract

Deficiency in the transcription factor Emx2 causes a specific alteration of hippocampal development, which has been well analyzed morphologically. We are currently using microarrays and in situ hybridization to characterize gene expression in the Emx2 mutant hippocampus. In this report on our preliminary results for the fetal stage, we identify a group of genes for most of which a putative relation to Emx2 pathways has not been previously recognized. Some candidates are development genes or are involved in functional maturation, and show expression in the hippocampal plate and/or developing dentate gyrus. A second class of candidates label neuronal, glial or vascular structures in the outer marginal zone, and likely represent markers for cell populations specifically absent in the mutant. Our results point at pathways and processes altered in the mutant, particularly the Notch and chemokine pathways, the processes of cell migration, axonal guidance and angiogenesis, and the relation of pia and Cajal-Retzius cells with hippocampal morphogenesis.

Copyright © 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel

  Author Contacts

Dr. Gonzalo Alvarez-Bolado
Max Planck Institute of Experimental Endocrinology
Feodor-Lynen-Strasse 7, DE-30625 Hannover (Germany)
Tel. +49 511 5359 110, Fax +49 511 5359 186
E-Mail gonzalo.alvarez-bolado@mpihan.mpg.de

  Article Information

Received: January 9, 2006
Accepted: March 23, 2006
Number of Print Pages : 20
Number of Figures : 6, Number of Tables : 4, Number of References : 148