Expression patterns of chick Musashi-1 in the developing nervous system.
Vertebrate homologues of musashi have recently been referred to as neural stem cell markers because of their expression patterns and RNA-binding interactions. In the context of the notch signaling pathway, Musashi-1 (Msi-1) is a regulator of neural cell generation, cooperating with notch to maintain mitosis. In an effort to identify definitive stem cell markers of the neural retina, a portion of the Msi-1 cDNA was cloned, and the expression of Msi-1 in the chick eye was analyzed. Using an Msi-1-specific antibody and RNA probe, we show that expression of Msi-1 in the early neural tube is consistent with neural stem identity. In the neural retina, expression starts shortly before embryonic day 3 (E3) and continues up to and including E18. A BrdU incorporation assay shows Msi-1 to be found in both proliferating and differentiating cells of E5 neural retina. At E8 (when proliferation is complete in the fundus of the retina) and E18 (mature retina) Msi-1 expression was found in the ciliary marginal zone (CMZ) as well as in a subpopulation of differentiated cells, including photoreceptors and ganglion cells.
Wilson
Jonathan M
JM
Department of Biology and Center for Regenerative Biology and Medicine, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA.
Sato
Kazuna
K
Chernoff
Ellen A G
EA
Belecky-Adams
Teri L
TL
D000818:Animals; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002642:Chick Embryo; D019295:Computational Biology; D005123:Eye / Q000196:embryology*; D005136:Eye Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D009420:Nervous System / Q000196:embryology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D051880:Receptors, Notch / Q000378:metabolism; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D012160:Retina / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors
D005136:Eye Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D051880:Receptors, Notch; D012097:Repressor Proteins