RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Partial Deletion of Cxcl12 from Hippocampal Cajal–Retzius Cells Does Not Disrupt Dentate Gyrus Development or Neurobehaviors JF eneuro JO eNeuro FD Society for Neuroscience SP ENEURO.0245-25.2025 DO 10.1523/ENEURO.0245-25.2025 VO 13 IS 1 A1 van Bruggen, Rebekah A1 Manzanet Freyre, Karla A1 Vasanthkumar, Sangeetha A1 Wang, Mi A1 Tan, Qiumin YR 2026 UL http://www.eneuro.org/content/13/1/ENEURO.0245-25.2025.abstract AB The chemokine CXCL12 plays critical roles in the development of the hippocampus dentate gyrus during both embryogenesis and adulthood. While multiple cell types in the hippocampus express Cxcl12, their individual contributions to the dentate gyrus development and function remain unclear. Here, using Cxcl12 reporter mice of both sexes, we characterize Cxcl12 expression in Cajal–Retzius (CR) cells—neurons that guide dentate gyrus morphogenesis and influence hippocampal circuitry. We show that CR cells prominently express Cxcl12 during early postnatal development, although both the number and proportion of Cxcl12-expressing CR cells decline significantly in adulthood. Notably, partial deletion of Cxcl12 from hippocampal CR cells in male and female mice does not result in detectable changes in dentate gyrus architecture, adult neurogenesis, or specific behaviors. These findings suggest that CR cell-derived CXCL12 may be less critical for dentate gyrus development than previously assumed and underscore the complexity and potential redundancy of CXCL12 signaling in the hippocampus.