title: The molecular and cellular signatures of the mouse eminentia thalami support its role as a signalling centre in the developing forebrain.
abstract: The mammalian eminentia thalami (EmT) (or thalamic eminence) is an embryonic forebrain structure of unknown function. Here, we examined the molecular and cellular properties of the mouse EmT. We first studied mRNA expression of signalling molecules and found that the EmT is a structure, rich in expression of secreted factors, with Wnts being the most abundantly detected. We then examined whether EmT tissue could induce cell fate changes when grafted ectopically. For this, we transplanted EmT tissue from a tau-GFP mouse to the ventral telencephalon of a wild type host, a telencephalic region where Wnt signalling is not normally active but which we showed in culture experiments is competent to respond to Wnts. We observed that the EmT was able to induce in adjacent ventral telencephalic cells ectopic expression of Lef1, a transcriptional activator and a target gene of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. These Lef1-positive;GFP-negative cells expressed the telencephalic marker Foxg1 but not Ascl1, which is normally expressed by ventral telencephalic cells. These results suggest that the EmT has the capacity to activate Wnt/β-catenin signalling in the ventral telencephalon and to suppress ventral telencephalic gene expression. Altogether, our data support a role of the EmT as a signalling centre in the developing mouse forebrain.
authors.affiliation: The University of Edinburgh, Centre for Integrative Physiology, Hugh Robson Building, George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, UK.|Department of Anatomy, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
authors.forename: Kevin Kofi
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Adutwum-Ofosu
authors.affiliation: The University of Edinburgh, Centre for Integrative Physiology, Hugh Robson Building, George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, UK.|MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH16 4SB, UK.
authors.forename: Dario
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Magnani
authors.affiliation: The University of Edinburgh, Centre for Integrative Physiology, Hugh Robson Building, George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, UK.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Theil
authors.affiliation: The University of Edinburgh, Centre for Integrative Physiology, Hugh Robson Building, George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, UK.
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Price
authors.affiliation: The University of Edinburgh, Centre for Integrative Physiology, Hugh Robson Building, George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, UK. vfotaki@ed.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Vassiliki
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Fotaki
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D055415:Bone Morphogenetic Protein 4; D055418:Bone Morphogenetic Protein 6; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D051524:Fibroblast Growth Factor 8; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D051379:Mice; D016548:Prosencephalon / Q000196:embryology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013788:Thalamus / Q000196:embryology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D060449:Wnt Signaling Pathway
chemical_list: D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D055415:Bone Morphogenetic Protein 4; D055418:Bone Morphogenetic Protein 6; D051524:Fibroblast Growth Factor 8; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C499317:Ascl1 protein, mouse; C525810:Bmp4 protein, mouse; C525817:Bmp6 protein, mouse; C496457:Fgf8 protein, mouse; C108526:fibroblast growth factor 15, mouse
keywords: Development; Eminentia thalami; Mouse; Signalling centre; Wnt/β-catenin signalling