title: Crucial role of zebrafish prox1 in hypothalamic catecholaminergic neurons development.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Prox1, the vertebrate homolog of prospero in Drosophila melanogaster, is a divergent homeogene that regulates cell proliferation, fate determination and differentiation during vertebrate embryonic development.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Here we report that, in zebrafish, prox1 is widely expressed in several districts of the Central Nervous System (CNS). Specifically, we evidenced prox1 expression in a group of neurons, already positive for otp1, located in the hypothalamus at the level of the posterior tuberculum (PT). Prox1 knock-down determines the severe loss of hypothalamic catecholaminergic (CA) neurons, identified by tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) expression, and the synergistic prox1/otp1 overexpression induces the appearance of hypothalamic supernumerary TH-positive neurons and ectopic TH-positive cells on the yolk epitelium.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings indicate that prox1 activity is crucial for the proper development of the otp1-positive hypothalamic neuronal precursors to their terminal CA phenotype.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milano, Italy. anna.pistocchi@unimi.it
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pistocchi
authors.forename: Germano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gaudenzi
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Carra
authors.forename: Erica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bresciani
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Del Giacco
authors.forename: Franco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cotelli
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002395:Catecholamines / Q000235:genetics*; D002452:Cell Count; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000196:embryology; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D005801:Genes, Homeobox; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000196:embryology* / Q000235:genetics; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D000098551:Prospero-Related Homeobox 1 Protein
chemical_list: D002395:Catecholamines; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins; D000098551:Prospero-Related Homeobox 1 Protein