PUBLICATION

Emx3 is required for the differentiation of dorsal telencephalic neurons

Authors
Viktorin, G., Chiuchitu, C., Rissler, M., Varga, Z.M., and Westerfield, M.
ID
ZDB-PUB-090807-11
Date
2009
Source
Developmental Dynamics : an official publication of the American Association of Anatomists   238(8): 1984-1998 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Aspock, Gudrun, Varga, Zoltán M., Westerfield, Monte
Keywords
Danio rerio, cell specification, empty spiracles, forebrain, pallium, homeobox, patterning, prosencephalon, transcription factor
MeSH Terms
  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Animals, Genetically Modified
  • Axons/ultrastructure
  • Base Sequence
  • Body Patterning/genetics
  • Body Patterning/physiology
  • Cell Differentiation/genetics
  • Cell Differentiation/physiology
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
  • Homeodomain Proteins/antagonists & inhibitors
  • Homeodomain Proteins/genetics
  • Homeodomain Proteins/physiology*
  • Mice
  • Neurons/cytology
  • Neurons/physiology
  • Oligodeoxyribonucleotides, Antisense/genetics
  • Phylogeny
  • RNA, Messenger/genetics
  • RNA, Messenger/metabolism
  • Signal Transduction/genetics
  • Signal Transduction/physiology
  • Telencephalon/cytology
  • Telencephalon/embryology*
  • Transcription Factors/antagonists & inhibitors
  • Transcription Factors/genetics
  • Transcription Factors/physiology*
  • Wnt Proteins/genetics
  • Wnt Proteins/physiology
  • Zebrafish/embryology*
  • Zebrafish/genetics
  • Zebrafish/physiology*
  • Zebrafish Proteins/antagonists & inhibitors
  • Zebrafish Proteins/genetics
  • Zebrafish Proteins/physiology*
  • beta Catenin/genetics
  • beta Catenin/physiology
PubMed
19650145 Full text @ Dev. Dyn.
Abstract
emx3 is first expressed in prospective telencephalic cells at the anterior border of the zebrafish neural plate. Knockdown of Emx3 function by morpholino reduces the expression of markers specific to dorsal telencephalon, and impairs axon tract formation. Rescue of both early and late markers requires low-level expression of emx3 at the one- or two-somite stage. Higher emx3 expression levels cause dorsal telencephalic markers to expand ventrally, which points to a possible role of emx3 in specifying dorsal telencephalon and a potential new function for Wnt/beta-catenin pathway activation. In contrast to mice, where Emx2 plays a major role in dorsal telencephalic development, knockdown of zebrafish Emx2 apparently does not affect telencephalic development. Similarly, Emx1 knockdown has little effect. Previously, emx3 was thought to be fish-specific. However, we found all three emx orthologs in Xenopus tropicalis and opossum (Monodelphis domestica) genomes, indicating that emx3 was present in an ancestral tetrapod genome.
Genes / Markers
Figures
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Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping