Allan Douglas W, Park Dongkook, St Pierre Susan E, Taghert Paul H, Thor Stefan
Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, 220 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Neuron. 2005 Mar 3;45(5):689-700. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2005.01.026.
In the Drosophila ventral nerve cord, a small number of neurons express the LIM-homeodomain gene apterous (ap). These ap neurons can be subdivided based upon axon pathfinding and their expression of neuropeptidergic markers. ap, the zinc finger gene squeeze, the bHLH gene dimmed, and the BMP pathway are all required for proper specification of these cells. Here, using several ap neuron terminal differentiation markers, we have resolved how each of these factors contributes to ap neuron diversity. We find that these factors interact genetically and biochemically in subtype-specific combinatorial codes to determine certain defining aspects of ap neuron subtype identity. However, we also find that ap, dimmed, and squeeze additionally act independently of one another to specify certain other defining aspects of ap neuron subtype identity. Therefore, within single neurons, we show that single regulators acting in numerous molecular contexts differentially specify multiple subtype-specific traits.
在果蝇腹神经索中，少数神经元表达LIM同源结构域基因无翅（apterous，ap）。这些ap神经元可根据轴突寻路和神经肽能标记物的表达进行细分。ap、锌指基因squeeze、bHLH基因dimmed和BMP信号通路对于这些细胞的正确特化都是必需的。在这里，我们使用几种ap神经元终末分化标记物，解析了这些因子中的每一个是如何促成ap神经元多样性的。我们发现，这些因子在亚型特异性组合编码中发生遗传和生化相互作用，以确定ap神经元亚型身份的某些决定性方面。然而，我们还发现，ap、dimmed和squeeze彼此独立发挥作用，以确定ap神经元亚型身份的某些其他决定性方面。因此，在单个神经元内，我们表明单个调节因子在众多分子环境中发挥作用，差异地指定多个亚型特异性特征。
