Transcriptome analyses of cortical projection neurons and interneurons via Tbr2(Eomes)-mediated transgenic lineage tracing

In the cerebral cortex, projection neurons and interneurons work coordinately to establish functional neural networks and to control the balance between excitatory versus inhibitory synaptic activities for normal cortical functions. While the specific mechanisms that control productions of projection neurons and interneurons are beginning to be revealed, a global characterization of the molecular differences between these two groups of neurons is in need for a more comprehensive understanding of their developmental specifications as well as their cortical functions. Previous studies have shown that the majority of cortical projection neurons are produced by radial glial cells (RGCs) through intermediate progenitor cells (IPCs) which can be marked by the expression of transcription factor Tbr2(Eomes). In this study, taking advantage of lineage tracing power of combining Tbr2(Eomes)-GFP and DCX-mRFP transgenic reporter mice, we prospectively separated IPC-derived neurons (IPNs) from non-IPC-derived neurons (non-IPNs) of the embryonic cortex. Molecular characterizations revealed that IPNs and non-IPNs were enriched with projection neurons and interneurons, respectively. Transcriptome analyses documented distinct groups of genes differentially expressed between these two groups of neurons. These data present a useful resource for further investigation of the molecular regulations and functions of projection neurons and interneurons. Overall design: Transcriptome of two cortical neuron groups were analyzed

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Liu J, Wu X, Zhang H, Qiu R, Yoshikawa K, Lu Q