Sockanathan Shanthini, Perlmann Thomas, Jessell Thomas M
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Center for Neurobiology and Behavior, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA.
Neuron. 2003 Sep 25;40(1):97-111. doi: 10.1016/s0896-6273(03)00532-4.
The identity of motor neurons diverges markedly at different rostrocaudal levels of the spinal cord, but the signals that specify their fate remain poorly defined. We show that retinoid receptor activation in newly generated spinal motor neurons has a crucial role in specifying motor neuron columnar subtypes. Blockade of retinoid receptor signaling in brachial motor neurons inhibits lateral motor column differentiation and converts many of these neurons to thoracic columnar subtypes. Conversely, expression of a constitutively active retinoid receptor derivative impairs the differentiation of thoracic motor neuron columnar subtypes. These findings provide evidence for a regionally restricted role for retinoid signaling in the postmitotic specification of motor neuron columnar identity.
运动神经元的身份在脊髓不同的头尾水平上有显著差异，但决定其命运的信号仍不清楚。我们发现，新生脊髓运动神经元中类视黄醇受体的激活在确定运动神经元柱状亚型方面起着关键作用。阻断臂部运动神经元中的类视黄醇受体信号会抑制外侧运动柱的分化，并将许多这些神经元转化为胸段柱状亚型。相反，组成型活性类视黄醇受体衍生物的表达会损害胸段运动神经元柱状亚型的分化。这些发现为类视黄醇信号在有丝分裂后运动神经元柱状身份的确定中所起的区域限制作用提供了证据。
