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The expression of tubb2b undergoes a developmental transition in murine cortical neurons
Author(s) -
Breuss Martin,
Morandell Jasmin,
Nimpf Simon,
Gstrein Thomas,
Lauwers Mattias,
Hochstoeger Tobias,
Braun Andreas,
Chan Kelvin,
Sánchez Guajardo Edmundo R.,
Zhang Lijuan,
Suplata Marek,
Heinze Katrin G.,
Elsayad Kareem,
Keays David A.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of comparative neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.855
H-Index - 209
eISSN - 1096-9861
pISSN - 0021-9967
DOI - 10.1002/cne.23881
Subject(s) - biology , lissencephaly , neuroscience , microtubule , microbiology and biotechnology , population , pachygyria , cerebellum , noggin , cytoskeleton , microtubule associated protein , gene , genetics , cell , demography , sociology , bone morphogenetic protein
The development of the mammalian brain requires the generation, migration, and differentiation of neurons, cellular processes that are dependent on a dynamic microtubule cytoskeleton. Mutations in tubulin genes, which encode for the structural subunits of microtubules, cause detrimental neurological disorders known as the tubulinopathies . The disease spectra associated with different tubulin genes are overlapping but distinct, an observation believed to reflect functional specification of this multigene family. Perturbation of the β‐tubulin TUBB2B is known to cause polymicrogyria, pachygyria, microcephaly, and axon guidance defects. Here we provide a detailed analysis of the expression pattern of its murine homolog Tubb2b . The generation and characterization of BAC‐transgenic eGFP reporter mouse lines has revealed that it is highly expressed in progenitors and postmitotic neurons during cortical development. This contrasts with the 8‐week‐old cortex, in which Tubb2b expression is restricted to macroglia, and expression is almost completely absent in mature neurons. This developmental transition in neurons is mirrored in the adult hippocampus and the cerebellum but is not a universal feature of Tubb2b ; its expression persists in a population of postmitotic neurons in the 8‐week‐old retina. We propose that the dynamic spatial and temporal expression of Tubb2b reflects specific functional requirements of the microtubule cytoskeleton. J. Comp. Neurol. 523:2161–2186, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.