Burrill J D, Moran L, Goulding M D, Saueressig H
Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, The Salk Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
Development. 1997 Nov;124(22):4493-503. doi: 10.1242/dev.124.22.4493.
Members of the PAX family of transcription factors are candidates for controlling cell identity in the spinal cord. We have morphologically analyzed cells that express one of these transcription factors, PAX2, demonstrating multiple interneuron cell types express PAX2. Two ventral populations of PAX2-expressing interneurons in the spinal cord are marked by coexpression of the transcription factors, EN1 and EVX1. Interestingly, the expression domains of PAX2, EN1 and EVX1 in postmitotic neurons correlate closely with those of Pax6 and Pax7 in the ventricular zone, implicating these patterning genes in the regulation of PAX2, EN1 and EVX1. We show that one of these patterning genes, Pax6, is required for the correct specification of ventral PAX2+ interneurons that coexpress EN1. These results demonstrate that the early activity of patterning genes in the ventricular zone determines interneuron identity in the spinal cord.
PAX转录因子家族成员是脊髓中控制细胞特性的候选因子。我们对表达这些转录因子之一PAX2的细胞进行了形态学分析，结果表明多种中间神经元细胞类型表达PAX2。脊髓中表达PAX2的中间神经元的两个腹侧群体通过转录因子EN1和EVX1的共表达得以标记。有趣的是，有丝分裂后神经元中PAX2、EN1和EVX1的表达域与脑室区中Pax6和Pax7的表达域密切相关，这表明这些模式形成基因参与了PAX2、EN1和EVX1的调控。我们发现，这些模式形成基因之一Pax6是正确指定共表达EN1的腹侧PAX2 +中间神经元所必需的。这些结果表明，脑室区模式形成基因的早期活性决定了脊髓中间神经元的特性。
