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PubMed2000

Expression of the netrin receptor UNC-5 in lamprey brain: modulation by spinal cord transection.

The sea lamprey recovers from spinal cord transection by a process that involves directionally specific regeneration of axons. The mechanisms underlying this specificity are not known, but they may involve molecular cues similar to those that guide the growth of spinal cord axons during development, such as netrins and semaphorins. To test the role of guidance cues in regeneration, we cloned netrin and its receptor UNC-5 from lamprey central nervous system (CNS) and studied their expression after spinal cord transection. In situ hybridization showed that (1) mRNA for netrin is expressed in the spinal cord, primarily in neurons of the lateral gray matter and in dorsal cells; (2) mRNA for UNC-5 is expressed in lamprey reticulospinal neurons; (3) following spinal cord transection, UNC-5 message was dramatically downregulated at two weeks, during the period of axon dieback; (4) UNC-5 message was upregulated at three weeks, when many axons are beginning to regenerate; and (5) axotomy-induced expression of UNC-5 occurred primarily in neurons whose axons regenerate poorly. Because the UNC-5 receptor is thought to mediate the chemorepellent effects of netrins, netrin signaling may play a role in limiting or channeling the regeneration of certain neurons. These data strengthen the rationale for studying the role of developmental guidance molecules in CNS regeneration.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

The Pax protein Noi is required for commissural axon pathway formation in the rostral forebrain.

No-isthmus (Noi) is a member of the zebrafish Pax family of transcriptional regulators that is expressed in restricted domains of the developing CNS. In the developing eye and optic nerve, the Noi+ cells are primitive glial cells that line the choroid fissure and optic stalk/nerve to its junction with the optic tract. This pattern of Noi expression is retained in the adult, defining the optic nerve astroglia, which wrap the left and right nerves separately at the midline, thus forming the bodily crossed optic chiasm found in fish. In embryos carrying mutations in the noi gene, the choroid fissure fails to close, glial cells of the optic nerve fail to differentiate and optic axons exhibit abnormal trajectories exiting the eye and at the midline of the diencephalon. Optic axons select inappropriate pathways into the contralateral optic nerve, rostrally towards the anterior commissure and along the ipsilateral optic tract. Noi+ cells also border the pathway of axons in the postoptic commissure, which is located adjacent to the optic chiasm. These postoptic commissural axons are defasciculated and also exhibit pathfinding defects in noi- embryos. These results indicate that Noi is required in cells that line the pathways taken by optic and non-optic commissural axons for guidance across the midline of the diencephalon. We find that expression of two members of the Netrin family of axon guidance molecules and the signalling protein Sonic hedgehog is disturbed in noi- embryos, whereas several members of the Eph family of receptors and ligands show no obvious alterations in expression at the diencephalic midline.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Embryonic phenotype of Unc5h3 mutant mice suggests chemorepulsion during the formation of the rostral cerebellar boundary.

Mutation of the Unc5h3 (formally known as rcm) gene has important consequences on neuronal migration during cerebellar development. Unc5h3 transcripts are expressed early (embryonic day 8.5) in the hindbrain region and later in the cerebellar primordia. In Unc5h3 mutant embryos, both the development and initial migration of Purkinje cell progenitors occur as in wild-type controls. The rhombic lip, from which granule cell precursors arise, also appears to form normally in mutants. However, at E13.5, an abnormal subpopulation of granule cell and Purkinje cell precursors becomes detectable in rostral areas of the Unc5h3 mutant brain stem. These ectopic cerebellar cells increase in number and continue moving in a rostral direction throughout the remainder of embryogenesis and early stages of postnatal development invading the lateral regions of the pontine area and eventually the inferior colliculus. Cell proliferation markers demonstrate the mitotic nature of these subpial ectopic granule neurons indicating the displacement of the rostral external germinal layer in mutant animals. Our data suggest that establishment of the rostral cerebellar boundary may rely on chemorepulsive signaling events that require UNC5H3 expressed by cerebellar neurons and extracellular ligands that are functionally related to the UNC5H3-binding, guidance molecule netrin1. Although the phenotype resulting from the Unc5h3 mutation is apparently limited to the formation of the cerebellum, additional sites of Unc5h3 expression are also found during development suggesting the compensatory function of other genes.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Semaphorins III and IV repel hippocampal axons via two distinct receptors.

The semaphorins are the largest family of repulsive axon guidance molecules. Secreted semaphorins bind neuropilin receptors and repel sensory, sympathetic and motor axons. Here we show that CA1, CA3 and dentate gyrus axons from E15-E17 mouse embryo explants are selectively repelled by entorhinal cortex and neocortex. The secreted semaphorins Sema III and Sema IV and their receptors Neuropilin-1 and -2 are expressed in the hippocampal formation during appropriate stages. Sema III and Sema IV strongly repel CA1, CA3 and dentate gyrus axons; entorhinal axons are only repelled by Sema III. An antibody against Neuropilin-1 blocks the repulsive action of Sema III and the entorhinal cortex, but has no effect on Sema IV-induced repulsion. Thus, chemorepulsion plays a role in axon guidance in the hippocampus, secreted semaphorins are likely to be responsible for this action, and the same axons can be repelled by two distinct semaphorins via two different receptors.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

The zebrafish detour gene is essential for cranial but not spinal motor neuron induction.

The zebrafish detour (dtr) mutation generates a novel neuronal phenotype. In dtr mutants, most cranial motor neurons, especially the branchiomotor, are missing. However, spinal motor neurons are generated normally. The loss of cranial motor neurons is not due to aberrant hindbrain patterning, failure of neurogenesis, increased cell death or absence of hh expression. Furthermore, activation of the Hh pathway, which normally induces branchiomotor neurons, fails to induce motor neurons in the dtr hindbrain. Despite this, not all Hh-mediated regulation of hindbrain development is abolished since the regulation of a neural gene by Hh is intact in the dtr hindbrain. Finally, dtr can function cell autonomously to induce branchiomotor neurons. These results suggest that detour encodes a component of the Hh signaling pathway that is essential for the induction of motor neurons in the hindbrain but not in the spinal cord and that dtr function is required for the induction of only a subset of Hh-mediated events in the hindbrain.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Ventral midline cells are required for the local control of commissural axon guidance in the mouse spinal cord.

Specialized cells at the midline of the central nervous system have been implicated in controlling axon projections in both invertebrates and vertebrates. To address the requirement for ventral midline cells in providing cues to commissural axons in mice, we have analyzed Gli2 mouse mutants, which lack specifically the floor plate and immediately adjacent interneurons. We show that a Dbx1 enhancer drives tau-lacZ expression in a subpopulation of commissural axons and, using a reporter line generated from this construct, as well as DiI tracing, we find that commissural axons projected to the ventral midline in Gli2(-/-) embryos. Netrin1 mRNA expression was detected in Gli2(-/-) embryos and, although much weaker than in wild-type embryos, was found in a dorsally decreasing gradient. This result demonstrates that while the floor plate can serve as a source of long-range cues for C-axons in vitro, it is not required in vivo for the guidance of commissural axons to the ventral midline in the mouse spinal cord. After reaching the ventral midline, most commissural axons remained clustered in Gli2(-/-) embryos, although some were able to extend longitudinally. Interestingly, some of the longitudinally projecting axons in Gli2(-/-) embryos extended caudally and others rostrally at the ventral midline, in contrast to normal embryos in which virtually all commissural axons turn rostrally after crossing the midline. This finding indicates a critical role for ventral midline cells in regulating the rostral polarity choice made by commissural axons after they cross the midline. In addition, we provide evidence that interactions between commissural axons and floor plate cells are required to modulate the localization of Nr-CAM and TAG-1 proteins on axons at the midline. Finally, we show that the floor plate is not required for the early trajectory of motoneurons or axons of the posterior commissure, whose projections are directed away from the ventral midline in both WT and Gli2(-/-) embryos, although they are less well organized in Gli2(-/-)mutants.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Netrin 1 is required for semicircular canal formation in the mouse inner ear.

The morphogenetic development of the mammalian inner ear is a complex multistep process, the molecular and cellular details of which are only beginning to be unraveled. We show here that mouse netrin 1, known to be involved in axon guidance and cell migration in the central nervous system, also plays a critical morphogenetic role during semicircular canal formation. netrin 1 is expressed at high levels in the otic epithelium, in cells that will come together to form a fusion plate, a prerequisite for the formation of semicircular canals. In netrin 1 mutant mice, fusion plate formation is severely affected resulting in a reduced anterior semicircular canal and the complete lack of the posterior and lateral canals. Our results suggest that netrin 1 facilitates semicircular canal formation through two different mechanisms: (1) it participates in the detachment of the fusion plate epithelia from the basement membrane, and (2) it stimulates proliferation of the periotic mesenchymal cells which then push the epithelial cell walls together to form the fusion plate.

Alleles↗
PubMed2000

Aberrant development of hippocampal circuits and altered neural activity in netrin 1-deficient mice.

Diffusible factors, including netrins and semaphorins, are believed to be important cues for the formation of neural circuits in the forebrain. Here we have examined the role of netrin 1 in the development of hippocampal connections. We show that netrin 1 and its receptor, Dcc, are expressed in the developing fimbria and in projection neurons, respectively, and that netrin 1 promotes the outgrowth of hippocampal axons in vitro via DCC receptors. We also show that the hippocampus of netrin 1-deficient mice shows a misorientation of fiber tracts and pathfinding errors, as detected with antibodies against the surface proteins TAG-1, L1 and DCC. DiI injections show that hippocampal commissural axons do not cross the midline in these mutants. Instead, when axons approach the midline, they turn ventrally and form a massive aberrant projection to the ipsilateral septum. In addition, both the ipsilateral entorhino-hippocampal and the CA3-to-CA1 associational projections show an altered pattern of layer-specific termination in netrin 1-deficient mice. Finally, optical recordings with the Ca(2+) indicator Fura 2-AM show that spontaneous neuronal activity is reduced in the septum of netrin 1-mutant mice. We conclude that netrin 1 is required not only for the formation of crossed connections in the forebrain, but also for the appropriate layer-specific targeting of ipsilateral projections and for the control of normal levels of spontaneous neural activity.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Netrin 1 acts as an attractive or as a repulsive cue for distinct migrating neurons during the development of the cerebellar system.

Netrin 1 is a long-range diffusible factor that exerts chemoattractive or chemorepulsive effects on developing axons growing to or away from the neural midline. Here we used tissue explants to study the action of netrin 1 in the migration of several cerebellar and precerebellar cell progenitors. We show that netrin 1 exerts a strong chemoattractive effect on migrating neurons from the embryonic lower rhombic lip at E12-E14, which give rise to precerebellar nuclei. Netrin 1 promotes the exit of postmitotic migrating neurons from the embryonic lower rhombic lip and upregulates the expression of TAG-1 in these neurons. In addition, in the presence of netrin 1, the migrating neurons are not isolated but are associated with thick fascicles of neurites, typical of the neurophilic way of migration. In contrast, the embryonic upper rhombic lip, which contains tangentially migrating granule cell progenitors, did not respond to netrin 1. Finally, in the postnatal cerebellum, netrin 1 repels both the parallel fibres and migrating granule cells growing out from explants taken from the external germinal layer. The developmental patterns of expression in vivo of netrin 1 and its receptors are consistent with the notion that netrin 1 secreted in the midline acts as chemoattractive cue for precerebellar neurons migrating circumferentially along the extramural stream. Similarly, the pattern of expression in the postnatal cerebellum suggests that netrin 1 could regulate the tangential migration of postmitotic premigratory granule cells. Thus, molecular mechanisms considered as primarily involved in axonal guidance appear also to steer neuronal cell migration.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Guidance of glial precursor cell migration by secreted cues in the developing optic nerve.

Oligodendrocyte precursors are produced in restricted foci of the germinative neuroepithelium in embryo brains and migrate to their sites of function, while astrocytes are produced in a wider area in the neuroepithelium. We investigated the guidance mechanisms of glial precursor (GP) cell migration in the optic nerve. GP cell migration in newborn rat optic nerve was monitored by the UV-thymine-dimer (TD) method. A double labeling study using NG2 and TD revealed that many of these in vivo migrating cells were NG2 positive, while some of them with large TD-positive nuclei were NG2 negative. An in vitro cell migration study using optic nerve with chiasma and/or eyeball tissue revealed that the GP cells migrated under the guidance of repulsive cues secreted from the optic chiasma. We detected the expression of netrin 1 and Sema3a in the optic chiasma, and that of Unc5h1 and neuropilin 1 in the optic nerve. Co-culture experiments of the optic nerve with cell clusters expressing guidance cues revealed that the migrating GP cells in the optic nerve were heterogeneous. Netrin 1 repelled a subtype of NG2-positive and PLP-positive GP cells with small nuclei. Sema3a repelled a subtype of GP cells with large nuclei.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

The role of bone morphogenetic proteins in the differentiation of the ventral optic cup.

The ventral region of the chick embryo optic cup undergoes a complex process of differentiation leading to the formation of four different structures: the neural retina, the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), the optic disk/optic stalk, and the pecten oculi. Signaling molecules such as retinoic acid and sonic hedgehog have been implicated in the regulation of these phenomena. We have now investigated whether the bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) also regulate ventral optic cup development. Loss-of-function experiments were carried out in chick embryos in ovo, by intraocular overexpression of noggin, a protein that binds several BMPs and prevents their interactions with their cognate cell surface receptors. At optic vesicle stages of development, this treatment resulted in microphthalmia with concomitant disruption of the developing neural retina, RPE and lens. At optic cup stages, however, noggin overexpression caused colobomas, pecten agenesis, replacement of the ventral RPE by neuroepithelium-like tissue, and ectopic expression of optic stalk markers in the region of the ventral retina and RPE. This was frequently accompanied by abnormal growth of ganglion cell axons, which failed to enter the optic nerve. The data suggest that endogenous BMPs have significant effects on the development of ventral optic cup structures.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Multiple influences on the migration of precerebellar neurons in the caudal medulla.

Neurons destined to form several precerebellar nuclei are generated in the dorsal neuroepithelium (rhombic lip) of caudal hindbrain. They form two ventrally directed migratory streams, which behave differently. While neurons in the superficial migration migrate in a subpial position and cross the midline to settle into the contralateral hindbrain, neurons in the olivary migration travel deeper in the parenchyma and stop ipsilaterally against the floor plate. In the present study, we compared the behavior of the two neuronal populations in an organotypic culture system that preserves several aspects of their in vivo environment. Both migrations occurred in mouse hindbrain explants dissected at E11.5 even when the floor plate was ablated at the onset of the culture period, indicating that they could rely on dorsoventral cues already distributed in the neural tube. Nevertheless, the local constraints necessary for the superficial migration were more specific than for the olivary migration. Distinct chemoattractive and chemorespulsive signal were found to operate on the migrations. The floor plate exhibited a strong chemoattractive influence on both migrations, which deviated from their normal path in the direction of ectopic floor plate fragments. It was also found to produce a short-range stop signal and to induce inferior olive aggregation. The ventral neural tube was also found to inhibit or slow down the migration of olivary neurons. Interestingly, while ectopic sources of netrin were found to influence both migrations, this effect was locally modulated and affected differentially the successive phases of migration. Consistent with this observation, while neurons in the superficial migration expressed the Dcc-netrin receptor, the migrating olivary neurons did not express Dcc before they reached the midline. Our observations provide a clearer picture of the hierarchy of environmental cues that influence the morphogenesis of these precerebellar nuclei.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Integrins regulate responsiveness to slit repellent signals.

Integrins are concentrated within growth cones, but their contribution to axon extension and pathfinding is unclear. Genetic lesion of individual integrins does not stop growth cone extension or motility, but does increase axon defasciculation and axon tract displacement. In this study, we document a dosage-dependent phenotypic interaction between genes for the integrins, their ligands, and the midline growth cone repellent, Slit, but not for the midline attractant, Netrin. Longitudinal tract axons in Drosophila embryos doubly heterozygous for slit and an integrin gene, encoding alphaPS1, alphaPS2, alphaPS3, or betaPS1, take ectopic trajectories across the midline of the CNS. Drosophila doubly heterozygous for slit and the genes encoding the integrin ligands Laminin A and Tiggrin reveal similar errors in midline axon guidance. We propose that the strength of adhesive signaling from integrins influences the threshold of response by growth cones to repellent axon guidance cues.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Cellular expression of a leech netrin suggests roles in the formation of longitudinal nerve tracts and in regional innervation of peripheral targets.

Netrins are secreted, diffusible proteins that direct axonal growth. To study the functions of netrins in the relatively simple and easily accessible nervous system of the leech Hirudo medicinalis, we have cloned a leech netrin and have characterized its expression during embryogenesis. By probing a leech cDNA library at low stringency with chick netrin probes, we have identified a complete cDNA clone that bears significant sequence similarity to netrins of other species. In situ hybridization and dye filling of individual neurons show that this leech netrin is expressed by several identifiable central neurons in every segmental ganglionic primordium during early stages of embryogenesis. Some of these neurons, including the bipolar cells which are thought to be involved in setting up longitudinal tracts, express this gene only transiently during embryogenesis, while others continue to express it in the adult. In addition, leech netrin is expressed by ventral but not dorsal longitudinal muscle cells in each segment before central neurons project their axons to the periphery. These highly specific expression patterns are consistent with the hypothesis that leech netrin plays a role in forming the major interganglionic neuronal tracts and in defining ventral versus dorsal domains of peripheral innervation.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2000

Attraction vs. repulsion: the growth cone decides.

Axons are guided through their environment in response to signals provided by extracellular cues. These cues are transduced into motile responses by the tip of the growing axon, the growth cone, and can be either repulsive or attractive in nature. Recent studies have suggested that how an axon responds to any given signal depends on the internal state of the growth cone. This review discusses these studies and their importance for understanding how nerve connections are made in the developing embryo.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Cellular mechanisms of netrin function: long-range and short-range actions.

Netrins are secreted proteins that direct axon extension and cell migration during neural development. They are bifunctional cues that act as an attractant for some cell types and as a repellent for others. Several lines of evidence suggest that two classes of receptors, the deleted in colorectal cancer (DCC) family and the UNC-5 family, mediate the attractant and repellent response to netrin. Although netrins were first identified as diffusible long-range cues for developing axons, recent findings provide evidence that they also function as short-range cues close to the surface of the cells that produce them. This short-range function of netrin contributes to guiding neurite outgrowth and mediating cell-cell interactions during development and perhaps also in adults.

Animals↗