Transcriptional coupling of neuronal fate commitment and the onset of migration

•Neuronal fate commitment and migration onset are tightly coordinated.•Spindle orientation does not account for the majority of migration initiation.•Transcriptional mechanisms couple neuronal fate commitment and migration onset.•Proneural genes inactivate adhesion molecules.•Inactivation of adhesion molecules triggers delamination of newborn neurons and INPs.

During mammalian CNS development, when the neural precursor cells commit to the neuronal fate they must delaminate and migrate toward the pial surface in order to reach the appropriate final location. Thus, the coordination of delamination and fate commitment is important in creating the correct structure. Although previous studies have proposed that spindle orientation during mitosis plays a role in both delamination and fate commitment, thus coordinating these events, subsequent studies have challenged this model. Recent work has identified several transcriptional mechanisms associated with neurogenesis that inhibit cell adhesion of newborn neurons and intermediate neuronal progenitors, thereby triggering delamination and linking it with fate commitment.