Involvement of strawberry notch homologue 1 in neurite outgrowth of cortical neurons.

When the regulation of axonal and dendritic growth is altered, the neuronal network becomes disordered, which may contribute to the development of psychiatric disorders. Some genome analyses have suggested relationships between mutations in strawberry notch homologue 1 (SBNO1) and neurodevelopmental disorders. However, the function of SBNO1 has not yet been reported. Here, SBNO1 expression pattern during the development of the cerebral cortex in mice was examined. SBNO1 was strongly expressed in the cortical plate and its expression was maintained at a low level during the postnatal stage. CRISPR/Cas9-based knockout of Sbno1 in Neuro2A cultured cells showed delayed growth of neurites. A cortical neuron-specific conditional knockout mouse was constructed, which resulted in hypotrophy of axon bundles and dendrites in cortical neurons. Thus, when mutated, SBNO1 is a candidate gene for psychiatric diseases, such as schizophrenia, as suggested by human genome studies.

Role of Reelin in cell positioning in the cerebellum and the cerebellum-like structure in zebrafish.

The cerebellum and the cerebellum-like structure in the mesencephalic tectum in zebrafish contain multiple cell types, including principal cells (i.e., Purkinje cells and type I neurons) and granule cells, that form neural circuits in which the principal cells receive and integrate inputs from granule cells and other neurons. It is largely unknown how these cells are positioned and how neural circuits form. While Reelin signaling is known to play an important role in cell positioning in the mammalian brain, its role in the formation of other vertebrate brains remains elusive. Here we found that zebrafish with mutations in Reelin or in the Reelin-signaling molecules Vldlr or Dab1a exhibited ectopic Purkinje cells, eurydendroid cells (projection neurons), and Bergmann glial cells in the cerebellum, and ectopic type I neurons in the tectum. The ectopic Purkinje cells and type I neurons received aberrant afferent fibers in these mutants. In wild-type zebrafish, reelin transcripts were detected in the internal granule cell layer, while Reelin protein was localized to the superficial layer of the cerebellum and the tectum. Laser ablation of the granule cell axons perturbed the localization of Reelin, and the mutation of both kif5aa and kif5ba, which encode major kinesin I components in the granule cells, disrupted the elongation of granule cell axons and the Reelin distribution. Our findings suggest that in zebrafish, (1) Reelin is transported from the granule cell soma to the superficial layer by axonal transport; (2) Reelin controls the migration of neurons and glial cells from the ventricular zone; and (3) Purkinje cells and type I neurons attract afferent axons during the formation of the cerebellum and the cerebellum-like structure.

Dab1 contributes differently to the morphogenesis of the hippocampal subdivisions.

The hippocampal formation (HF) is morphologically and functionally distinguishable into the subdivisions, such as the dentate gyrus (DG), subiculum, and Ammon's horn. The Ammon's horn is further divided into the CA (Cornu Ammonis)1, CA2, and CA3. The Reelin-Dab1 signal is essential for the morphogenesis of the mammalian brain. In the neocortex of Reelin-Dab1 signal mutants the laminar pattern of the neurons is disrupted along the radial axis. Morphological abnormalities in the HF of the Reelin-Dab1 mutants were known, but how these abnormalities appear during development had not been extensively studied. We examined the morphology of the well-developed Dab1 deficient HF by staining with a silver impregnation method in this report, and found that disruption of lamination in the CA1, CA3, and DG was different. Abnormalities observed in the development of Dab1 deficient CA1 were similar to those reported in the neocortical development, while Dab1 deficient CA3 neuronal progenitors radially spreaded beyond presumptive pyramidal layer. The intermediate progenitor cells ectopically located in the Dab1 deficient DG, but neurogenesis was normal in the CA1 and CA3. These observations suggest that the morphogenesis in these HF subdivisions employs different developmental mechanisms involving Dab1 function.