Aldolase C/zebrin II and the regionalization of the cerebellum

The cerebellum is comprised of multiple bands of cells, each with characteristic afferent and efferent projections, and patterns of gene expression. The most studied example of a striped pattern of expression is the antigen recognized by monoclonal antibody antizebrin II. Zebrin II is expressed by subsets of Purkinje cells that form an array of parasagittal bands that extend rostrocaudally throughout the cerebellar cortex, separated by similar bands of Purkinje cells that do not express zebrin II. Recent cloning studies have revealed that the zebrin II antigen is the respiratory isoenzyme aldolase C. This article reviews the cellular and molecular compartmentation of the cerebellum together with the molecular biology of the aldolase C gene, and speculates on possible reasons for a striped pattern of expression.