Referenced in: none

Automatically associated channels: Slo1

Title: Glycine receptor α2 subunit activation promotes cortical interneuron migration.

Authors: Ariel Avila, Pía M Vidal, T Neil Dear, Robert J Harvey, Jean-Michel Rigo, Laurent Nguyen

Journal, date & volume: Cell Rep, 2013 Aug 29 , 4, 738-50

PubMed link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23954789

Abstract
Glycine receptors (GlyRs) are detected in the developing CNS before synaptogenesis, but their function remains elusive. This study demonstrates that functional GlyRs are expressed by embryonic cortical interneurons in vivo. Furthermore, genetic disruption of these receptors leads to interneuron migration defects. We discovered that extrasynaptic activation of GlyRs containing the α2 subunit in cortical interneurons by endogenous glycine activates voltage-gated calcium channels and promotes calcium influx, which further modulates actomyosin contractility to fine-tune nuclear translocation during migration. Taken together, our data highlight the molecular events triggered by GlyR α2 activation that control cortical tangential migration during embryogenesis.