
Formation of a 6-layered cortical plate and axon tract patterning are key features of cerebral cortex development. Abnormalities of these processes may be the underlying cause for a range of functional disabilities seen in human neurodevelopmental disorders. To identify mouse mutants with defects in cortical lamination or corticofugal axon guidance, N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) mutagenesis was performed using mice expressing LacZ reporter genes in layers II/III and V of the cortex (Rgs4-lacZ) or in corticofugal axons (TAG1-tau-lacZ). Four lines with abnormal cortical lamination have been identified. One of these was a splice site mutation in reelin (Reln) that results in a premature stop codon and the truncation of the C-terminal region (CTR) domain of reelin. Interestingly, this novel allele of Reln did not display cerebellar malformation or ataxia, and this is the first report of a Reln mutant without a cerebellar defect. Four lines with abnormal cortical axon development were also identified, one of which was found by whole-genome resequencing to carry a mutation in Lrp2. These findings demonstrated that the application of ENU mutagenesis to mice carrying transgenic reporters marking cortical anatomy is a sensitive and specific method to identify mutations that disrupt patterning of the developing brain.
Cerebral Cortex, Male, Extracellular Matrix Proteins, Cell Adhesion Molecules, Neuronal, Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental, Nerve Tissue Proteins, Axons, Mice, Mutant Strains, Malformations of Cortical Development, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Low Density Lipoprotein Receptor-Related Protein-2, Mice, Reelin Protein, Ethylnitrosourea, Mutation, Animals, Female, Genetic Testing, Hydrocephalus, Mutagens
Cerebral Cortex, Male, Extracellular Matrix Proteins, Cell Adhesion Molecules, Neuronal, Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental, Nerve Tissue Proteins, Axons, Mice, Mutant Strains, Malformations of Cortical Development, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Low Density Lipoprotein Receptor-Related Protein-2, Mice, Reelin Protein, Ethylnitrosourea, Mutation, Animals, Female, Genetic Testing, Hydrocephalus, Mutagens
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