A population of myogenic cells derived from the mouse neural tube.
Embryonic mouse neural tubes produce a variety of terminally differentiated cells in vitro, mostly neurons and glia. We report here that some of these cells differentiate into skeletal muscle cells. The possibility of mesoderm contamination was ruled out as follows. First, Dil+ muscle cells were present in cultures from a Dil-labeled neuroepithelium. Second, a small fraction of cultured neural tube cells coexpressed muscle myosin and neuronal beta III tubulin within the same cell. Third, embryos generated from embryonic stem cells in which nlacZ was targeted into the myogenic gene myf-5 expressed nlacZ in a localized region of the neural tube. These myf-5+ cells coexpress neuronal and muscle markers in culture. The developmental significance of this phenomenon is discussed in the context of overlapping regulatory networks between myogenesis and neurogenesis.
Tajbakhsh
S
S
Institute of Histology and General Embryology, University of Rome, Italy.
Vivarelli
E
E
Cusella-De Angelis
G
G
Rocancourt
D
D
Buckingham
M
M
Cossu
G
G
D000818:Animals; D002232:Carbocyanines; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000166:cytology* / Q000196:embryology*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D018390:Gene Targeting; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D051379:Mice; D009124:Muscle Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000166:cytology*; D051787:Myogenic Regulatory Factor 5; D012518:Sarcomeres / Q000276:immunology; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014404:Tubulin / Q000032:analysis; D001616:beta-Galactosidase / Q000032:analysis
C035005:3,3'-dihexadecylindocarbocyanine; D002232:Carbocyanines; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D009124:Muscle Proteins; C497418:Myf5 protein, mouse; D051787:Myogenic Regulatory Factor 5; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014404:Tubulin; D001616:beta-Galactosidase