TRANSCRIPTION FACTORS IN CEREBELLAR DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

The cerebellar germ arises from the rhombic lip, and it’s a rostral part from the mesencephalon. The following cellular processes take place in the developing cerebellum: proliferation, migration, differentiation, synapse formation and cell death. An important step is the transformation of the Purkinje cell layer from a multilayer composition into a monolayer. This structural reorganization is followed by the foliation process. At first, the smooth surface is divided into five major lobes by four grooves in the vermis. In the next phase major lobes are subdivided into sublobes and lobules and they grow in size. The development of granular neurons in the cerebellum takes place in two phases. The first is in the rhombic lip and the second is in the external granular layer (EGL). The development is directed by some transcription factors such as sonic hedgehog (Shh), Zbtb, and Pax6.

Keywords

• foliation
• neurogenesis
• granule cells
• purkinje cells
• rhombic lip