Zebrafish CiA interneurons are late-born primary neurons.
Pax2 is a neural-related transcription factor downstream of Notch signaling and is expressed in the developing spinal cord of zebrafish, including in CiA interneurons. However, the characteristics of pax2-positive neurons are largely unknown. The goal of this study was to characterize Pax2-positive neurons by examining their expression in embryos in which Notch function had been knocked down by mutation or injection of a morpholino or mRNA. I found that Pax2-positive CiA interneurons were late-differentiating primary neurons. pax2.1 was expressed in CoPA commissural neurons and CiA interneurons at 26 hpf. The number of pax2.1-positive cells increased in mind bomb mutant embryos or embryos injected with Su(H)1-MO, but not in cells injected with Xenopus Delta or Delta(stu) mRNA. These observations imply that Notch signaling plays a role in regulating the number of CiA neurons by preventing uncommitted precursors from acquiring a neuronal fate during vertebrate development.
Department of Biotechnology, Division of Applied Chemistry & Biotechnology, Hanbat National University, SAN16-1, DuckMyoung-Dong, Yuseong-Gu, Daejeon 305-719, Republic of Korea. yeosy@hanbat.ac.kr
Sang-Yeob
SY
Yeo
D000818:Animals; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian; D055785:Gene Knockdown Techniques; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007395:Interneurons / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D009154:Mutation; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D051762:PAX2 Transcription Factor / Q000096:biosynthesis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D051880:Receptors, Notch / Q000235:genetics; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism; D044767:Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases / Q000235:genetics; D014981:Xenopus; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000196:embryology* / Q000378:metabolism; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics
D051762:PAX2 Transcription Factor; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D051880:Receptors, Notch; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins; C497320:pax2a protein, zebrafish; D044767:Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases; C471932:mib1 protein, zebrafish