In embryonic development, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is the process whereby epithelial cells delaminate from the epithelial sheet and adopt a mesenchymal phenotype in cell motility and migration. This study shows that the Snail superfamily transcription factors Scratch 1 and 2 regulate an EMT-like process in newborn neurons derived from neuroepithelial cells in the developing mouse cortex. This process affects subsequent initiation of radial migration and ultimately neuronal cell positioning.
- Yasuhiro Itoh
- Yasunobu Moriyama
- Yukiko Gotoh