title: Zinc finger transcription factor Casz1 expression is regulated by homeodomain transcription factor Prrxl1 in embryonic spinal dorsal horn late-born excitatory interneurons.
abstract: The transcription factor Casz1 is required for proper assembly of vertebrate vasculature and heart morphogenesis as well as for temporal control of Drosophila neuroblasts and mouse retina progenitors in the generation of different cell types. Although Casz1 function in the mammalian nervous system remains largely unexplored, Casz1 is expressed in several regions of this system. Here we provide a detailed spatiotemporal characterization of Casz1 expression along mouse dorsal root ganglion (DRG) and dorsal spinal cord development by immunochemistry. In the DRG, Casz1 is broadly expressed in sensory neurons since they are born until perinatal age. In the dorsal spinal cord, Casz1 displays a more dynamic pattern being first expressed in dorsal interneuron 1 (dI1) progenitors and their derived neurons and then in a large subset of embryonic dorsal late-born excitatory (dILB) neurons that narrows gradually to become restricted perinatally to the inner portion. Strikingly, expression analyses using Prrxl1-knockout mice revealed that Prrxl1, a key transcription factor in the differentiation of dILB neurons, is a positive regulator of Casz1 expression in the embryonic dorsal spinal cord but not in the DRG. By performing chromatin immunoprecipitation in the dorsal spinal cord, we identified two Prrxl1-bound regions within Casz1 introns, suggesting that Prrxl1 directly regulates Casz1 transcription. Our work reveals that Casz1 lies downstream of Prrxl1 in the differentiation pathway of a large subset of dILB neurons and provides a framework for further studies of Casz1 in assembly of the DRG-spinal circuit.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia Experimental, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, 4200-319, Porto, Portugal.|Pain Research Group, I3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: César B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Monteiro
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia Experimental, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, 4200-319, Porto, Portugal.|Pain Research Group, I3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Luís
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Midão
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia Experimental, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, 4200-319, Porto, Portugal.|Pain Research Group, I3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rebelo
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia Experimental, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, 4200-319, Porto, Portugal.|Pain Research Group, I3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Reguenga
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia Experimental, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, 4200-319, Porto, Portugal.|Pain Research Group, I3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Deolinda
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia Experimental, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, 4200-319, Porto, Portugal.|Pain Research Group, I3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Filipe A
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-0670-3658
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Monteiro
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005727:Ganglia, Spinal / Q000196:embryology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D007395:Interneurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D066148:Spinal Cord Dorsal Horn / Q000196:embryology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C000600132:CASZ1 protein, mouse; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; C433766:Prrxl1 protein, mouse; D014157:Transcription Factors
keywords: development; dorsal root ganglion; dorsal spinal cord; mouse; transcription factors