Developmental analysis of the external granular layer in the meander tail mutant mouse: do cerebellar microneurons have independent progenitors?

The cerebellum of the meander tail mutant mouse (mea/mea) is characterized by an apparently normal cytoarchitecture posteriorly with an abrupt transition to an abnormal anterior region. Anteriorly, there is abnormal foliation, a drastic reduction in the granule cells (GC) population, disorganization of the Purkinje cells (PC), and a virtual absence of Bergmann glial processes. In this paper we analyze the prenatal and postnatal development of the cerebellum in the mea/mea and attempt to determine the phenotypic onset of the mutation in the anterior region. Hematoxylin and eosin stained sections reveal a morphological difference in the cerebellum of the mea/mea as early as embryonic day 16 characterized by a reduction in the external granule cell layer (EGL). The reduction in the EGL becomes increasingly apparent as development proceeds. This deficit in the EGL most probably results in the absence of GC, but it is unclear at this point whether reduced migration, proliferation, and/or increased cell death is the major factor. Interestingly, immunohistochemical staining with a monoclonal antibody against parvalbumin reveals that the basket and stellate cells, which are also thought to arise from the EGL, are present in the anterior region of the mea/mea cerebellum. These results suggest that the lack of GC in the meander tail is due to an early expressed abnormality of the EGL. However, the presence of the basket and/or stellate cells raises some interesting questions concerning the lineage of the cerebellar microneurons.