title: Specification of select hypothalamic circuits and innate behaviors by the embryonic patterning gene dbx1.
abstract: The hypothalamus integrates information required for the production of a variety of innate behaviors such as feeding, mating, aggression, and predator avoidance. Despite an extensive knowledge of hypothalamic function, how embryonic genetic programs specify circuits that regulate these behaviors remains unknown. Here, we find that in the hypothalamus the developmentally regulated homeodomain-containing transcription factor Dbx1 is required for the generation of specific subclasses of neurons within the lateral hypothalamic area/zona incerta (LH) and the arcuate (Arc) nucleus. Consistent with this specific developmental role, Dbx1 hypothalamic-specific conditional-knockout mice display attenuated responses to predator odor and feeding stressors but do not display deficits in other innate behaviors such as mating or conspecific aggression. Thus, activity of a single developmentally regulated gene, Dbx1, is a shared requirement for the specification of hypothalamic nuclei governing a subset of innate behaviors. VIDEO ABSTRACT.
authors: Center for Neuroscience Research, Children's National Medical Center, 111 Michigan Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20010, USA.
authors: Katie
authors: K
authors: Sokolowski
authors: Center for Neuroscience Research, Children's National Medical Center, 111 Michigan Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20010, USA; Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, 2-39-1 Kurokami, Chuo Ward, Kumamoto, Kumamoto Prefecture 860-0862, Japan.
authors: Shigeyuki
authors: S
authors: Esumi
authors: Center for Neuroscience Research, Children's National Medical Center, 111 Michigan Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20010, USA.
authors: Tsutomu
authors: T
authors: Hirata
authors: Center for Neuroscience Research, Children's National Medical Center, 111 Michigan Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20010, USA.
authors: Yasman
authors: Y
authors: Kamal
authors: Center for Neuroscience Research, Children's National Medical Center, 111 Michigan Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20010, USA.
authors: Tuyen
authors: T
authors: Tran
authors: Center for Neuroscience Research, Children's National Medical Center, 111 Michigan Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20010, USA.
authors: Andrew
authors: A
authors: Lam
authors: Center for Neuroscience Research, Children's National Medical Center, 111 Michigan Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20010, USA.
authors: Livio
authors: L
authors: Oboti
authors: Center for Neuroscience Research, Children's National Medical Center, 111 Michigan Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20010, USA.
authors: Sherri-Chanelle
authors: SC
authors: Brighthaupt
authors: Center for Neuroscience Research, Children's National Medical Center, 111 Michigan Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20010, USA.
authors: Manar
authors: M
authors: Zaghlula
authors: Center for Neuroscience Research, Children's National Medical Center, 111 Michigan Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20010, USA.
authors: Jennifer
authors: J
authors: Martinez
authors: Center for Genetic Medicine, Children's National Medical Center, 111 Michigan Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20010, USA.
authors: Svetlana
authors: S
authors: Ghimbovschi
authors: Center for Genetic Medicine, Children's National Medical Center, 111 Michigan Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20010, USA.
authors: Susan
authors: S
authors: Knoblach
authors: Institut Jacques Monod, Universite Paris Diderot, 15 rue Hélène Brion, 75013 Paris, France.
authors: Alessandra
authors: A
authors: Pierani
authors: Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, 2-39-1 Kurokami, Chuo Ward, Kumamoto, Kumamoto Prefecture 860-0862, Japan.
authors: Nobuaki
authors: N
authors: Tamamaki
authors: Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, 513 Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
authors: Nirao M
authors: NM
authors: Shah
authors: Center for Neuroscience Research, Children's National Medical Center, 111 Michigan Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20010, USA; Department of Biology, Howard University, 415 College Street NW, Washington, DC 20059, USA.
authors: Kevin S
authors: KS
authors: Jones
authors: Center for Neuroscience Research, Children's National Medical Center, 111 Michigan Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20010, USA. Electronic address: jcorbin@cnmc.org.
authors: Joshua G
authors: JG
authors: Corbin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D019521:Body Patterning / Q000235:genetics; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology* / Q000502:physiology*; D007323:Instinct; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000378:metabolism; D000068797:Orexins
chemical_list: C103403:Dbx1 protein, mouse; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D009479:Neuropeptides; D000068797:Orexins