Cellular Patterns of Transcription Factor Expression in Developing Cortical Interneurons

Most gamma-aminobutyric acidergic interneurons in the neocortex and hippocampus are derived from subpallial progenitors in the medial ganglionic eminence and migrate tangentially to the pallium, where they differentiate into a diverse set of neuronal subtypes. Toward elucidating the mechanisms underlying the generation of interneuron diversity, we have studied in mice the expression patterns in differentiating and mature neocortical interneurons of 8 transcription factors, including 6 homeobox (Dlx1, Dlx2, Dlx5, Arx, Lhx6, Cux2), 1 basic helix-loop-helix, (NPAS1), and 1 bZIP (MafB). Their patterns of expression change during interneuron differentiation and show distinct distributions within interneuron subpopulations in adult neocortex. This study is a first step to define the combinatorial codes of transcription factors that participate in regulating the specification and function of cortical interneuron subtypes.