Department of Molecular Life Sciences and Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Mar 20;22(6):3176. doi: 10.3390/ijms22063176.
The primary cilium plays a pivotal role during the embryonic development of vertebrates. It acts as a somatic signaling hub for specific pathways, such as Sonic Hedgehog signaling. In humans, mutations in genes that cause dysregulation of ciliogenesis or ciliary function lead to severe developmental disorders called ciliopathies. Beyond its role in early morphogenesis, growing evidence points towards an essential function of the primary cilium in neural circuit formation in the central nervous system. However, very little is known about a potential role in the formation of the peripheral nervous system. Here, we investigate the presence of the primary cilium in neural crest cells and their derivatives in the trunk of developing chicken embryos in vivo. We found that neural crest cells, sensory neurons, and boundary cap cells all bear a primary cilium during key stages of early peripheral nervous system formation. Moreover, we describe differences in the ciliation of neuronal cultures of different populations from the peripheral and central nervous systems. Our results offer a framework for further in vivo and in vitro investigations on specific roles that the primary cilium might play during peripheral nervous system formation.
初级纤毛在脊椎动物的胚胎发育过程中起着关键作用。它作为特定途径（如 Sonic Hedgehog 信号通路）的体细胞信号中枢。在人类中，导致纤毛发生或纤毛功能失调的基因突变会导致严重的发育障碍，称为纤毛病。除了在早期形态发生中的作用外，越来越多的证据表明初级纤毛在中枢神经系统的神经回路形成中具有重要功能。然而，对于其在外周神经系统形成中的潜在作用知之甚少。在这里，我们研究了初级纤毛在体内发育鸡胚躯干中的神经嵴细胞及其衍生物中的存在。我们发现，在早期外周神经系统形成的关键阶段，神经嵴细胞、感觉神经元和边界帽细胞都具有初级纤毛。此外，我们描述了来自外周和中枢神经系统的不同神经元群体的培养物中的纤毛化差异。我们的研究结果为进一步的体内和体外研究初级纤毛在外周神经系统形成过程中可能发挥的特定作用提供了框架。
