Onset of Spinal Cord Astrocyte Precursor Emigration from the Ventricular Zone Involves the Zeb1 Transcription Factor.
During spinal cord development, astrocyte precursors arise from neuroepithelial progenitors, delaminate from the ventricular zone, and migrate toward their final locations where they differentiate. Although the mechanisms underlying their early specification and late differentiation are being deciphered, less is known about the temporal control of their migration. Here, we show that the epithelial-mesenchymal transition regulator Zeb1 is expressed in glial precursors and report that loss of Zeb1 function specifically delays the onset of astrocyte precursor delamination from the ventricular zone, correlating with transient deregulation of the adhesion protein Cadherin-1. Consequently, astrocyte precursor invasion into the Zeb1-/-mutant white matter is delayed, and induction of their differentiation is postponed. These findings illustrate how fine regulation of adhesive properties influences the onset of neural precursor migration and further support the notion that duration of exposure of migrating astrocyte precursors to environmental cues and/or their correct positioning influence the timing of their differentiation.
INSERM U1051, Institut des Neurosciences de Montpellier, 34091 Montpellier, France; Université de Toulouse, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), CBD-UMR5547, 31062 Toulouse, France; Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
David
D
Ohayon
INSERM U1051, Institut des Neurosciences de Montpellier, 34091 Montpellier, France.
Alain
A
Garcès
INSERM U1051, Institut des Neurosciences de Montpellier, 34091 Montpellier, France.
Willy
W
Joly
INSERM U1051, Institut des Neurosciences de Montpellier, 34091 Montpellier, France; Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Damascus University, Damascus, Syria.
Chadi
C
Soukkarieh
Department of Perinatology, Institute for Developmental Research, Aichi Human Service Center, Kasugai, Aichi 480-0392, Japan.
Tsuyoshi
T
Takagi
INSERM U1051, Institut des Neurosciences de Montpellier, 34091 Montpellier, France.
Jean-Charles
JC
Sabourin
Université de Toulouse, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), CBD-UMR5547, 31062 Toulouse, France.
Eric
E
Agius
Department of Oral Immunology and Infectious Diseases, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202, USA.
Douglas S
DS
Darling
PhyMedExp, INSERM U1046, CNRS UMR 9214, University of Montpellier, 34295 Montpellier, France.
Pascal
P
De Santa Barbara
Department of Perinatology, Institute for Developmental Research, Aichi Human Service Center, Kasugai, Aichi 480-0392, Japan.
Yujiro
Y
Higashi
Institut für Biochemie, Emil-Fischer-Zentrum, Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany.
Claus C
CC
Stolt
INSERM U1051, Institut des Neurosciences de Montpellier, 34091 Montpellier, France.
Jean-Philippe
JP
Hugnot
Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
William D
WD
Richardson
INSERM U1051, Institut des Neurosciences de Montpellier, 34091 Montpellier, France.
Patrick
P
Carroll
INSERM U1051, Institut des Neurosciences de Montpellier, 34091 Montpellier, France. Electronic address: alexandre.pattyn@inserm.fr.
Alexandre
A
Pattyn
D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D019521:Body Patterning; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002465:Cell Movement; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D051379:Mice; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000166:cytology*; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D000071799:Zinc Finger E-box-Binding Homeobox 1 / Q000378:metabolism*
D000071799:Zinc Finger E-box-Binding Homeobox 1
Cadherin-1; GFAP; Sox9; Zeb1; Zeb2; astrocyte; cell migration; development; oligodendrocyte; spinal cord