Absence of Gdf11 does not rescue defects in
Foxg1-/- cerebral cortex. (A) Hematoxylin and
Eosin staining of horizontal sections through the brains of wild type,
Foxg1-/-, and
Foxg1-/-;Gdf11-/- double mutants at E13.5. The
cortex is severely reduced in Foxg1-/- embryos; absence of
Gdf11 does not rescue this phenotype. Scale bar: 200 μm.
(B) Expression of Foxg1 and Gdf11 in coronal sections
through developing mouse brain. Foxg1 is abundantly expressed in the
telencephalon (except for the cortical hem) at E11.5 (expression boundary
indicated by arrowheads). Gdf11 expression is apparent in the ventral
telencephalon and OE at E11.5, but by E12.5 is restricted to ventral midline
of the telencephalon and the nascent hippocampus (arrows). At E15.5, no
Gdf11 expression is apparent in the rostral telencephalon, whereas
Foxg1 levels are high, especially in dorsal areas. Scale bars: 400
μm. C, cortex; CB, cerebral cortex; CH, cortical hem; CP, cortical plate;
Di, diencephalon; H, hippocampus; LV, lateral ventricle; OE, olfactory
epithelium; S, striatum; POA, preoptic area; SVZ, subventricular zone.