Molecular Fingerprint and Developmental Regulation of the Tegmental GABAergic and Glutamatergic Neurons Derived from the Anterior Hindbrain.

Tegmental nuclei in the ventral midbrain and anterior hindbrain control motivated behavior, mood, memory, and movement. These nuclei contain inhibitory GABAergic and excitatory glutamatergic neurons, whose molecular diversity and development remain largely unraveled. Many tegmental neurons originate in the embryonic ventral rhombomere 1 (r1), where GABAergic fate is regulated by the transcription factor (TF) Tal1.

Inactivation of the GATA Cofactor ZFPM1 Results in Abnormal Development of Dorsal Raphe Serotonergic Neuron Subtypes and Increased Anxiety-Like Behavior.

Serotonergic neurons in the dorsal raphe (DR) nucleus are associated with several psychiatric disorders including depression and anxiety disorders, which often have a neurodevelopmental component. During embryonic development, GATA transcription factors GATA2 and GATA3 operate as serotonergic neuron fate selectors and regulate the differentiation of serotonergic neuron subtypes of DR. Here, we analyzed the requirement of GATA cofactor ZFPM1 in the development of serotonergic neurons using conditional mouse mutants.