title: BMPs, FGF8 and Wnts regulate the differentiation of locus coeruleus noradrenergic neuronal precursors.
abstract: In the present study, we investigated the involvement of rhombomere 1 patterning proteins in the regulation of the major noradrenergic centre of the brain, the locus coeruleus. Primary cultures of rat embryonic day 13.5 locus coeruleus were treated with fibroblast growth factor-8, noggin and members of the bone morphogenetic and Wnt protein families. We show that bone morphogenetic proteins 2, 5 and 7 increase and noggin decreases the number of tyrosine hydroxylase-positive locus coeruleus neurons. Interestingly, from all Wnts expressed in the first rhombomere by embryonic day 12.5 in the mice, we only found expression of wnt5a mRNA in the vicinity of the locus coeruleus. In agreement with this finding, from all Wnts studied in vitro, only Wnt5a increased the number of tyrosine hydroxylase-positive neurons in locus coeruleus cultures. Finally, we also found that fibroblast growth factor-8 increased the number of tyrosine hydroxylase-positive cells in locus coeruleus cultures. Neither of the identified factors affected the survival of tyrosine hydroxylase-positive locus coeruleus noradrenergic neurons or the proliferation of their progenitors or neurogenesis. Instead, our results suggest that these patterning signals of rhombomere 1 may work to promote the differentiation of noradrenergic progenitors at later stages of development.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology, MBB, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Pontus C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Holm
authors.forename: Francisco J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Rodríguez
authors.forename: Julianna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kele
authors.forename: Gonçalo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Castelo-Branco
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kitajewski
authors.forename: Ernest
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Arenas
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000379:methods; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002469:Cell Separation; D017077:Culture Media, Conditioned; D047108:Embryonic Development / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D051524:Fibroblast Growth Factor 8 / Q000502:physiology*; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D008125:Locus Coeruleus / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D051153:Wnt Proteins / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins; D017077:Culture Media, Conditioned; C496458:Fgf8 protein, rat; D051153:Wnt Proteins; D051524:Fibroblast Growth Factor 8