Cortical and striatal interneurons are both generated from the MGE (Marin et al., 2000). The Nkx2-1 homeobox transcription factor has a central role in specifying their identity. While Nkx2-1 is initially required for both of these cell types, Nkx2-1 expression is repressed soon after immature cortical interneurons tangentially migrate from the MGE, while it is maintained in striatal interneurons (Butt et al., 2008; Marin et al., 2000; Nóbrega-Pereira et al., 2008; Sussel et al., 1999).
