Symmetric and asymmetric cell divisions

To see a movie of symmetrically dividing cells, click here. Several cells in this field of DiI-labeled progenitors in the ventricular zone divide symmetrically during the imaging period. The resulting daughter cells stay in close proximity to one another.

To see a movie of two cells that have just divided asymmetrically, click here. Two cells are visible near the center of the field; these have undergone a horizontally-oriented cleavage, and the two daughter cells separate during the imaging period, with the top cell migrating upward, out of the ventricular zone.

To see a field of ventricular cells labeled with the nucleic acid binding dye Syto11, click here. Mitotic cells are visible at the lower (apical) surface of the ventricular zone. Cells are seen dividing with a variety of cleavage orientations.

Radial and nonradial neuronal migration

To see a movie of a radially migrating neuron, click here. This DiI-labeled young neuron is migrating within the intermediate zone and has a radial orientation.

To see a movie of a cell that was migrating radially turn and migrate tangentially, click here. A number of radially migrating neurons are visible. One cell, out of focus on the right, is moving radially but then stops, alters its orientation and polarity, then migrates tangentially out of the field of view.