ALDOLASE-C ZEBRIN-II AND THE REGIONALIZATION OF THE CEREBELLUM

The cerebellum is comprised of multiple bands of cells, each with char acteristic afferent and efferent projections, and patterns of gene exp ression. The most studied example of a striped pattern of expression i s the antigen recognized by monoclonal antibody antizebrin II. Zebrin II is expressed by subsets of Purkinje cells that form an array of par asagittal bands that extend rostrocaudally throughout the cerebellar c ortex, separated by similar bands of Purkinje cells that do not expres s zebrin II. Recent cloning studies have revealed that the zebrin Il a ntigen is the respiratory isoenzyme aldolase C. This article reviews t he cellular and molecular compartmentation of the cerebellum together with the molecular biology of the aldolase C gene, and speculates on p ossible reasons for a striped pattern of expression.