Gli2 is required for normal Shh signaling and oligodendrocyte development in the spinal cord.
Recent studies have demonstrated that oligodendrocyte progenitor (OLP) cells are induced from the ventral neural tube by the ventral midline signal, Sonic hedgehog (Shh). In this study, we investigated the role of Gli2 signal transducer in Shh induction of oligodendrocytes by studying oligodendrocyte development in Gli2-null mutants. In the absence of Gli2, the Olig1/2+ oligodendrogenic domain in the ventral spinal neuroepithelium is markedly reduced, and the initial production of OLP cells from the ventral neuroepithelium is much decreased and delayed. However, at late gestation stages, there is no discernible difference in the steady-state number of OLPs between the wild type and mutants. Interestingly, the initial delay and reduction of OLP production in the mutants is associated with a delayed expression of myelin-specific genes and oligodendrocyte differentiation. In contrast to oligodendrogenesis in the spinal cord, oligodendrocyte development in the forebrain is unaffected by Gli2 mutation. Together, our studies have suggested that Gli2 plays an important role in regulating oligodendrocyte specification and differentiation in the caudal neural tube.
Qi
Yingchuan
Y
Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292, USA.
Tan
Min
M
Hui
Chi-Chung
CC
Qiu
Mengsheng
M
D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology; D002455:Cell Division / Q000502:physiology; D004848:Epithelium / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D053823:Hedgehog Proteins; D051741:Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors; D051379:Mice; D008817:Mice, Mutant Strains; D016296:Mutagenesis; D009836:Oligodendroglia / Q000166:cytology*; D016548:Prosencephalon / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000166:cytology* / Q000196:embryology; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000378:metabolism*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D000075746:Zinc Finger Protein Gli2
C000618551:Gli2 protein, mouse; D053823:Hedgehog Proteins; D051741:Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors; D000075746:Zinc Finger Protein Gli2