title: Neurogenin3 participates in gliogenesis in the developing vertebrate spinal cord.
abstract: To study the role of basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors in gliogenesis, we examined whether bHLH transcription factors were expressed in glial precursor cells and participated in regulating oligodendrocyte and astrocyte development. As assessed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), Neurogenin3 (Ngn3) was transiently expressed in bipotential glial cells fated to become either oligodendrocytes or astrocytes. Mice lacking Ngn3 displayed a loss of Nkx2.2 expression, a transcription factor required for proper oligodendrogliogenesis. Furthermore, a reduction in the expression of myelin basic protein (MBP), proteolipid protein (PLP), and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), markers for mature oligodendrocytes and astrocytes, was observed in the Ngn3 null mice. Overexpression of Ngn3 was sufficient to drive expression from the PLP promoter in transient cotransfection assays. Overall, the data suggest that Ngn3 may regulate glial differentiation at a developmental stage prior to the segregation of the oligodendrocyte and astrocyte lineage.
authors.affiliation: IGBMC, Universite Louis Pasteur, 1 rue Laurent Fries, BP10142, 67404 Illkirch Cedex, CU de Strasbourg, France.
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Yuanyuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Yingchuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Qi
authors.forename: Haipeng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Scheel
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: German
authors.forename: Mengsheng
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.forename: Francois
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Guillemot
authors.forename: Mahendra
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.forename: Gerard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gradwohl
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D017931:DNA Primers; D005260:Female; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000235:genetics; D000090322:Homeobox Protein Nkx-2.2; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000201:enzymology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000196:embryology*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins
chemical_list: D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D017931:DNA Primers; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D000090322:Homeobox Protein Nkx-2.2; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins; C498696:Neurog3 protein, rat; C000715627:Nkx2-2 protein, mouse; C000715628:Nkx2-2 protein, rat; C000715630:nkx2.2b protein, zebrafish