PUBLICATION
A dual role for the zebrafish unplugged gene in motor axon pathfinding and pharyngeal development
- Authors
- Zhang, J., Malayaman, S., Davis, C., and Granato, M.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-011119-1
- Date
- 2001
- Source
- Developmental Biology 240(2): 560-573 (Journal)
- Registered Authors
- Granato, Michael
- Keywords
- spinal cord; motor axon; guidance; choice point; pathway selection; neural development; pharyngeal arch; hyoid; zebrafish
- MeSH Terms
-
- Alleles
- Axons/ultrastructure*
- Homeodomain Proteins/genetics*
- Branchial Region/abnormalities
- Branchial Region/embryology*
- Phenotype
- Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
- Growth Cones/ultrastructure
- Chromosome Mapping
- Motor Neurons/ultrastructure*
- Zebrafish/embryology*
- Zebrafish/genetics*
- Gene Deletion
- Animals
- Zebrafish Proteins*
- PubMed
- 11784083 Full text @ Dev. Biol.
Citation
Zhang, J., Malayaman, S., Davis, C., and Granato, M. (2001) A dual role for the zebrafish unplugged gene in motor axon pathfinding and pharyngeal development. Developmental Biology. 240(2):560-573.
Abstract
On their way toward their synaptic targets, motor growth cones encounter multiple choice points, where they are confronted with trajectory choices. We have previously shown that the zebrafish unplugged gene acts as a somite-derived cue controlling pathway choice of primary motor axons. Here, we demonstrate that this trajectory choice is not exclusively controlled by a single unplugged-dependent process, but depends on the coordinated function of additional cues. We also show that secondary motor neurons, most similar to those in birds and mammals, depend on the unplugged gene to navigate a choice point, suggesting that primary and secondary motor neurons share common mechanisms controlling axonal path selection. Moreover, we show that the unplugged gene plays an additional role guiding secondary motor axons through a single segmental nerve. Finally, we report that unplugged larvae display a striking pharyngeal arch defect, consistent with a dual function of the unplugged gene in axonal guidance and cell motility.
Genes / Markers
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping