Michael Sars Centre, University of Bergen, Thormøhlensgate 55, 5006, Bergen, Norway.
Department for Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Thormøhlensgate 55, 5006, Bergen, Norway.
Nat Commun. 2023 Aug 10;14(1):4854. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-39789-4.
Neurogenesis has been studied extensively in the ectoderm, from which most animals generate the majority of their neurons. Neurogenesis from non-ectodermal tissue is, in contrast, poorly understood. Here we use the cnidarian Nematostella vectensis as a model to provide new insights into the molecular regulation of non-ectodermal neurogenesis. We show that the transcription factor NvPrdm14d is expressed in a subpopulation of NvSoxB(2)-expressing endodermal progenitor cells and their NvPOU4-expressing progeny. Using a new transgenic reporter line, we show that NvPrdm14d-expressing cells give rise to neurons in the body wall and in close vicinity of the longitudinal retractor muscles. RNA-sequencing of NvPrdm14d::GFP-expressing cells and gene knockdown experiments provide candidate genes for the development and function of these neurons. Together, the identification of a population of endoderm-specific neural progenitor cells and of previously undescribed putative motoneurons in Nematostella provide new insights into the regulation of non-ectodermal neurogenesis.
神经发生在胚胎外胚层中得到了广泛的研究，大多数动物的大多数神经元都由胚胎外胚层产生。相比之下，非外胚层组织的神经发生则知之甚少。在这里，我们使用刺胞动物 Nematostella vectensis 作为模型，为非外胚层神经发生的分子调控提供了新的见解。我们发现转录因子 NvPrdm14d 在 NvSoxB(2)表达的内胚层祖细胞及其 NvPOU4 表达的后代的一个亚群中表达。使用新的转基因报告基因系，我们发现 NvPrdm14d 表达细胞在体壁和纵行牵缩肌附近产生神经元。NvPrdm14d::GFP 表达细胞的 RNA 测序和基因敲低实验为这些神经元的发育和功能提供了候选基因。总之，在内胚层特异性神经祖细胞的鉴定以及在 Nematostella 中以前未描述的潜在运动神经元的鉴定为非外胚层神经发生的调控提供了新的见解。
