AMBIGUUS NUCLEUS NEURONS INNERVATING THE ABDOMINAL ESOPHAGUS ARE MALPOSITIONED IN THE REELER MOUSE

To examine whether the migration of ambiguus nucleus (NA) neurons is a ffected in the reeler mouse, recombinant replication-deficient adenovi ral vector carrying E. coli-galactosidase gene (lacZ) was injected int o the abdominal esophagus of the reeler mouse and normal control at tw o months of age prior to 5 days of sacrifice of the animals. In the no rmal control, lacZ-positive neurons were found in the compact formatio n of the NA, whereas, in the reeler, they were scattered from the base of the fourth ventricle to the ventro-lateral margin of the medulla. The present study confirmed that NA neurons are malpositioned in the r eeler mouse, suggesting that the migration of NA neurons is guided by the reelin-related protein (Reelin). (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. Al l rights reserved.