Fgf signaling controls the telencephalic distribution of Fgf-expressing progenitors generated in the rostral patterning center

Background The rostral patterning center (RPC) secretes multiple fibroblast growth factors (Fgfs) essential for telencephalon growth and patterning. Fgf expression patterns suggest that they mark functionally distinct RPC subdomains. We generated Fgf8CreER and Fgf17CreER mice and used them to analyze the lineages of Fgf8- versus Fgf17-expressing RPC cells. Results Both lineages contributed to medial structures of the rostroventral telencephalon structures including the septum and medial prefrontral cortex. In addition, RPC-derived progenitors were observed in other regions of the early telencephalic neuroepithelium and generated neurons in the olfactory bulb, neocortex, and basal ganglia. Surprisingly, Fgf8+ RPC progenitors generated the majority of basal ganglia cholinergic neurons. Compared to the Fgf8 lineage, the Fgf17 lineage was more restricted in its early dispersion and its contributions to the telencephalon. Mutant studies suggested that Fgf8 and Fgf17 restrict spread of RPC progenitor subpopulations. Conclusions We identified the RPC as an important source of progenitors that contribute broadly to the telencephalon and found that two molecularly distinct progenitor subtypes in the RPC make different contributions to the developing forebrain. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13064-015-0037-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.