Genetic ablation reveals that the roof plate is essential for dorsal interneuron specification.
During neural development in vertebrates, a spatially ordered array of neurons is generated in response to inductive signals derived from localized organizing centres. One organizing centre that has been proposed to have a role in the control of neural patterning is the roof plate. To define the contribution of signals derived from the roof plate to the specification of neuronal cell types in the dorsal neural tube, we devised a genetic strategy to ablate the roof plate selectively in mouse embryos. Embryos without a roof plate lack all the interneuron subtypes that are normally generated in the dorsal third of the neural tube. Using a genetically based lineage analysis and in vitro assays, we show that the loss of these neurons results from the elimination of non-autonomous signals provided by the roof plate. These results reveal that the roof plate is essential for specifying multiple classes of neurons in the mammalian central nervous system.
Lee
K J
KJ
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Centre for Neurobiology and Behavior, Columbia University, New York, New York 10032, USA.
Dietrich
P
P
Jessell
T M
TM
D000818:Animals; D019521:Body Patterning / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins; D019070:Cell Lineage; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology*; D046508:Culture Techniques; D004167:Diphtheria Toxin / Q000235:genetics; D004475:Ectoderm / Q000502:physiology; D004627:Embryonic Induction; D018390:Gene Targeting; D055412:Growth Differentiation Factors; D006133:Growth Substances / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D007395:Interneurons / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D009124:Muscle Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D051763:PAX7 Transcription Factor; D015398:Signal Transduction
D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins; D004167:Diphtheria Toxin; C499471:Gdf7 protein, mouse; D055412:Growth Differentiation Factors; D006133:Growth Substances; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D009124:Muscle Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D051763:PAX7 Transcription Factor; C497322:Pax7 protein, mouse; C086559:growth differentiation factor 7