Yaguchi Junko, Yaguchi Shunsuke
Shimoda Marine Research Center, University of Tsukuba, Shimoda, Japan.
PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kawaguchi, Japan.
Front Cell Dev Biol. 2023 Aug 15;11:1240767. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1240767. eCollection 2023.
Acetylcholine, a vital neurotransmitter, plays a multifarious role in the brain and peripheral nervous system of various organisms. Previous research has demonstrated the proximity of cholinergic neurons to serotonergic neurons in the apical organ of sea urchin embryos. While several transcription factors have been identified as playing a role in the development of serotonergic neurons in this region of a sea urchin, , comparatively little is known about the specific transcription factors and their spatiotemporal expression patterns that regulate the development of cholinergic neurons. In this study, we establish the requirement of the transcription factor Rx for the development of cholinergic neurons in the apical organ of the species. Furthermore, we investigate the role of the RNA-binding protein Musashi1, known to be involved in neurogenesis, including cholinergic neurons in other organisms, and demonstrate that it is a downstream factor of Rx, and that choline acetyltransferase expression is suppressed in Musashi1 downregulated embryos. Our research also highlights the intricate network formed by neurons and other cells in and around the apical organ of sea urchin larvae through axons and dendrites, providing possibility for a systematic and complexed neural pattern like those of the brain in other organisms.
乙酰胆碱是一种重要的神经递质，在各种生物体的大脑和外周神经系统中发挥着多种作用。先前的研究表明，海胆胚胎顶器中胆碱能神经元与血清素能神经元相邻。虽然已经确定了几种转录因子在海胆该区域血清素能神经元的发育中发挥作用，但对于调节胆碱能神经元发育的特定转录因子及其时空表达模式却知之甚少。在本研究中，我们确定了转录因子Rx对该物种顶器中胆碱能神经元发育的必要性。此外，我们研究了已知参与神经发生（包括其他生物体中的胆碱能神经元）的RNA结合蛋白Musashi1的作用，并证明它是Rx的下游因子，且在Musashi1下调的胚胎中胆碱乙酰转移酶表达受到抑制。我们的研究还强调了海胆幼虫顶器内和周围的神经元与其他细胞通过轴突和树突形成的复杂网络，为形成像其他生物体大脑那样系统而复杂的神经模式提供了可能性。
