Trajectory Analysis Unveils Reelin's Role in the Directed Migration of Granule Cells in the Dentate Gyrus

Reelin controls neuronal migration and layer formation. Previous studies inreelermice deficient in Reelin focused on the result of the developmental process in fixed tissue sections. It has remained unclear whether Reelin affects the migratory process, migration directionality, or migrating neurons guided by the radial glial scaffold. Moreover, Reelin has been regarded as an attractive signal because newly generated neurons migrate toward the Reelin-containing marginal zone. Conversely, Reelin might be a stop signal because migrating neurons inreeler, but not in wild-type mice, invade the marginal zone. Here, we monitored the migration of newly generatedproopiomelanocortin-EGFP-expressing dentate granule cells in slice cultures fromreeler,reeler-like mutants and wild-type mice of either sex using real-time microscopy. We discovered that not the actual migratory process and migratory speed, but migration directionality of the granule cells is controlled by Reelin. While wild-type granule cells migrated toward the marginal zone of the dentate gyrus, neurons in cultures fromreelerandreeler-like mutants migrated randomly in all directions as revealed by vector analyses of migratory trajectories. Moreover, live imaging of granule cells inreelerslices cocultured to wild-type dentate gyrus showed that thereelerneurons changed their directions and migrated toward the Reelin-containing marginal zone of the wild-type culture, thus forming a compact granule cell layer. In contrast, directed migration was not observed when Reelin was ubiquitously present in the medium ofreelerslices. These results indicate that topographically administered Reelin controls the formation of a granule cell layer. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTNeuronal migration and the various factors controlling its onset, speed, directionality, and arrest are poorly understood. Slice cultures offer a unique model to study the migration of individual neurons in an almost natural environment. In the present study, we took advantage of the expression ofproopiomelanocortin-EGFPby newly generated, migrating granule cells to analyze their migratory trajectories in hippocampal slice cultures from wild-type mice and mutants deficient in Reelin signaling. We show that the compartmentalized presence of Reelin is essential for the directionality, but not the actual migratory process or speed, of migrating granule cells leading to their characteristic lamination in the dentate gyrus.