UC San Diego

The gene dpy-19 has been shown to be involved in migration of the developing nervous system in Caenorhabditis elegans. We previously have characterized a mouse homologue for this gene. Its expression pattern and association with the C. elegans gene suggest a role for it in cortical migration. Deprivation of mouse DPY-19-1 protein in vitro results in neurons with fewer processes and unusual membrane ruffling. We show here that downregulation of dpy-19-1 during cortical migration leads to an increased rate of migration. Additionally, migrating cells with downregulated dpy-19-1 might have an abnormally shaped leading process. We use a neurosphere migration assay to further examine the role of dpy-19-1 in migration, and results so far are inconclusive