Identifying the role of DNMT1 in gene expression regulation in somatostatinergic interneurons during embryonic corticogenesis

The establishment of neuronal circuits, made up of excitatory neurons and inhibitory interneurons, is a fine-tuned process during corticogenesis and is pivotal for a functional brain. Developmental aberrations affecting these circuits are implicated in several neuropsychiatric disorders. While excitatory neurons originate in cortical proliferative zones, inhibitory interneurons migrate from the basal telencephalon into the cortex. This migration is regulated by intrinsic genetic programs and extrinsic cues. Here, we aimed to identify the role of the DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) in controlling the expression of key genes implicated in mouse cortical interneuron development and the migration of somatostatin-expressing interneurons within the developing cortex. Overall design: FAC-sorted somatostatinergic interneurons from the cortex were collected from the brains of multiple E14.5 mice, with or without a conditional knockout of Dnmt1 in somatostatinergic interneurons, and pooled per genotype. The samples were sequenced following an RNA extraction and library preparation.