In vivo analyses of morphologies of distinct neuronal subtypes in the developing striatum by in utero electroporation-mediated gene transfer method

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The acquisition of unique morphological characteristics by distinct neuronal subtypes underlies the development of neuronal network formation and brain functions. Medium spiny neurons(MSNs), that are principle projection neurons in the striatum, consist of several distinct neuronal subtypes, including the striosome and matrix MSNs that are generated from the lateral ganglionic eminence(LGE) during the protracted period of striatum development. Despite crucial roles played distinctively by the striosome and matrix MSNs in the control of motor and cognitive brain functions, how the striosome and matrix MSN acquire and maintain their characteristic features remains to be elucidated. Here, we established a system where we can selectively label either the striosome or matrix MSNs by employing in utero electroporation-mediated gene transfer methods. Previous works were not able to focus the analyses selectively on the striosome MSNs, because they comprise only less than 10~ 15% of total MSN population. Our system, in contrast, enabled us to analyze selectively the way striosome MSNs acquire their characteristic features during development, and revealed that they acquire the matured morphological features even at the early postnatal development of the striatum.