PUBLICATION

Zebrafish narrowminded suggests a genetic link between formation of neural crest and primary sensory neurons

Authors

Artinger, K.B., Chitnis, A.B., Mercola, M., and Driever, W.

ID

ZDB-PUB-990824-13

Date

1999

Source

Development (Cambridge, England) 126(18): 3969-3979 (Journal)

Registered Authors

Artinger, Kristin Bruk, Chitnis, Ajay, Driever, Wolfgang

Keywords

narrowminded; neural crest; sensory neurons; cell signalling; zebrafish

MeSH Terms

Animals
Neurons, Afferent/physiology*
Homeodomain Proteins/genetics
Nerve Tissue Proteins/genetics
Neural Crest/embryology*
Neural Crest/physiology
Embryonic Induction/genetics
Male
ELAV-Like Protein 3
Antigens, Surface/genetics
Female
Homozygote
Mutation
ELAV Proteins
Nervous System Malformations/genetics
Nervous System/embryology*
Otx Transcription Factors
In Situ Hybridization
Zebrafish/embryology*
Zebrafish/genetics*
Trans-Activators/genetics
Embryo, Nonmammalian
Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental*
Transcription Factors/genetics
RNA-Binding Proteins*
Zebrafish Proteins*
Body Patterning/genetics

(all 27)

PubMed

10457007 Full text @ Development

Abstract

In the developing vertebrate nervous system, both neural crest and sensory neurons form at the boundary between non-neural ectoderm and the neural plate. From an in situ hybridization based expression analysis screen, we have identified a novel zebrafish mutation, narrowminded (nrd), which reduces the number of early neural crest cells and eliminates Rohon-Beard (RB) sensory neurons. Mosaic analysis has shown that the mutation acts cell autonomously suggesting that nrd is involved in either the reception or interpretation of signals at the lateral neural plate boundary. Characterization of the mutant phenotype indicates that nrd is required for a primary wave of neural crest cell formation during which progenitors generate both RB sensory neurons and neural crest cells. Moreover, the early deficit in neural crest cells in nrd homozygotes is compensated later in development. Thus, we propose that a later wave can compensate for the loss of early neural crest cells but, interestingly, not the RB sensory neurons. We discuss the implications of these findings for the possibility that RB sensory neurons and neural crest cells share a common evolutionary origin.

Genes / Markers

Figures