title: Molecular fingerprinting delineates progenitor populations in the developing zebrafish enteric nervous system.
abstract: To understand the basis of nervous system development, we must learn how multipotent progenitors generate diverse neuronal and glial lineages. We addressed this issue in the zebrafish enteric nervous system (ENS), a complex neuronal and glial network that regulates essential intestinal functions. Little is currently known about how ENS progenitor subpopulations generate enteric neuronal and glial diversity.
  
  
  
  We identified temporally and spatially dependent progenitor subpopulations based on coexpression of three genes essential for normal ENS development: phox2bb, sox10, and ret. Our data suggest that combinatorial expression of these genes delineates three major ENS progenitor subpopulations, (1) phox2bb + /ret- /sox10-, (2) phox2bb + /ret + /sox10-, and (3) phox2bb + /ret + /sox10+, that reflect temporal progression of progenitor maturation during migration. We also found that differentiating zebrafish neurons maintain phox2bb and ret expression, and lose sox10 expression.
  
  
  
  Our data show that zebrafish enteric progenitors constitute a heterogeneous population at both early and late stages of ENS development and suggest that marker gene expression is indicative of a progenitor's fate. We propose that a progenitor's expression profile reveals its developmental state: "younger" wave front progenitors express all three genes, whereas more mature progenitors behind the wave front selectively lose sox10 and/or ret expression, which may indicate developmental restriction. Developmental Dynamics 245:1081-1096, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
authors: Institute of Neuroscience, 1254 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1254, USA.
authors: Charlotte R
authors: CR
authors: Taylor
authors: Institute of Neuroscience, 1254 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1254, USA.
authors: William A
authors: WA
authors: Montagne
authors: Institute of Neuroscience, 1254 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1254, USA.
authors: Judith S
authors: JS
authors: Eisen
authors: Institute of Neuroscience, 1254 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1254, USA. ganz@msu.edu.|Current address: Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA. ganz@msu.edu.
authors: Julia
authors: J
authors: Ganz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017615:Enteric Nervous System / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D009432:Neural Crest / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D055757:SOXE Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000196:embryology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D055757:SOXE Transcription Factors; D014157:Transcription Factors; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins; C442229:sox10 protein, zebrafish
keywords: development; enteric glia; enteric neuron; gene expression; neural crest