Transcriptomic (RNA-seq) analysis of wild-type and Nolz1-/- (Zfp503) mutant striatal tissue reveals altered expression of several genes involved in striatal projection neuron specification

Midbrain dopaminergic (DA) axons make long longitudinal projections towards target areas in the forebrain, including the striatum. After demonstrating a striatal specific requirement of transcriptional regulator Nolz1 (Zfp503) in regulating DA axon guidance and innervation, we performed RNA-seq analysis on both wild-type and Nolz1-/- mutant striatal tissue. The gene expression analysis revealed a requirement of Nolz1 in regulating striatal projection neuron specification. The RNA-seq results reveal several secreted factors that underlie the observed guidance defects and resulted in the identification of proteins that can restore DA axonal outgrowth.