Global developmental gene expression and pathway analysis of normal brain development and mouse models of human neuronal migration defects

Proper cortical development relies on the balance of neuronal migration and proliferation. We investigated the gene expression differences of mouse knock-outs for Lissencephaly in humans. Our analysis suggests that gene expression and pathway analysis in mouse models of a similar disorder or within a common pathway can be used to define novel candidates for related human diseases. We investigated the developing brain of four mutants and wild-type mice using expression microarrays, bioinformatic analyses, and in vivo/in vitro experiments to address whether mutations in different members of the LIS1 neuronal migration complex lead to similar and/or distinct global gene expression alterations.