Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
Department of Pediatrics, Divisions of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and Medical Genetics, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
Cell Rep. 2023 Aug 29;42(8):112957. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112957. Epub 2023 Aug 9.
Identities of distinct neuron subtypes are specified during embryonic development, then maintained during post-natal maturation. In cerebral cortex, mechanisms controlling early acquisition of neuron-subtype identities have become increasingly understood. However, mechanisms controlling neuron-subtype identity stability during post-natal maturation are largely unexplored. We identify that Tle4 is required for both early acquisition and post-natal stability of corticothalamic neuron-subtype identity. Embryonically, Tle4 promotes acquisition of corticothalamic identity and blocks emergence of core characteristics of subcerebral/corticospinal projection neuron identity, including gene expression and connectivity. During the first post-natal week, when corticothalamic innervation is ongoing, Tle4 is required to stabilize corticothalamic neuron identity, limiting interference from differentiation programs of developmentally related neuron classes. We identify a deacetylation-based epigenetic mechanism by which TLE4 controls Fezf2 expression level by corticothalamic neurons. This contributes to distinction of cortical output subtypes and ensures identity stability for appropriate maturation of corticothalamic neurons.
不同神经元亚型的特征在胚胎发育过程中确定,然后在出生后成熟过程中保持。在大脑皮层中,控制早期获得神经元亚型特征的机制已经越来越被理解。然而,控制出生后成熟过程中神经元亚型特征稳定性的机制在很大程度上仍未被探索。我们发现 Tle4 对于皮质丘脑神经元亚型特征的早期获得和出生后的稳定性都是必需的。在胚胎期,Tle4 促进皮质丘脑特征的获得,并阻止亚皮质/皮质脊髓投射神经元特征的核心特征的出现,包括基因表达和连接。在出生后的第一周,当皮质丘脑神经支配正在进行时,Tle4 需要稳定皮质丘脑神经元的特征,限制与发育相关神经元类别的分化程序的干扰。我们确定了一种基于去乙酰化的表观遗传机制,通过该机制,TLE4 通过皮质丘脑神经元控制 Fezf2 的表达水平。这有助于区分皮质输出亚型,并确保皮质丘脑神经元的适当成熟的特征稳定性。