ErbB3 is required for normal cerebellar and cardiac development: a comparison with ErbB2-and heregulin-deficient mice

Heregulins bind directly to ErbB3 and ErbB4 receptors, leading to multiple dimerization possibilities including heterodimerization with the ErbB2 receptor. We have generated ErbB3-, ErbB2- and heregulin-deficient mice to assess their roles in development and differentiation. Heregulin(−/−) and ErbB2(−/−) embryos died on E10.5 due to a lack of cardiac ventricular myocyte differentiation; ErbB3(−/−) embryos survived until E13.5 exhibiting cardiac cushion abnormalities leading to blood reflux through defective valves. In ErbB3(−/−) embryos, the midbrain/hindbrain region was strikingly affected, with little differentiation of the cerebellar plate. Cranial ganglia defects, while present in all three nulls, were less severe in ErbB3(−/−) embryos. The cranial ganglia defects, along with a dramatic reduction in Schwann cells, enteric ganglia and adrenal chromaffin cells, suggests a generalized effect on the neural crest. Numerous organs, including the stomach and pancreas also exhibited anomalous development.

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Developmental regulation of O 2 sensing in neonatal adrenal chromaffin cells from wild-type and NADPH-oxidase-deficient mice

Pflügers Archiv - European Journal of Physiology ◽

10.1007/s00424-002-0853-6 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 444 (4) ◽

pp. 539-548 ◽

Cited By ~ 43

Author(s):

Roger Thompson ◽

Suzanne Farragher ◽

Colin Nurse ◽

Ernest Cutz

Keyword(s):

Nadph Oxidase ◽

Chromaffin Cells ◽

Developmental Regulation ◽

Adrenal Chromaffin Cells ◽

Wild Type ◽

Adrenal Chromaffin ◽

Deficient Mice

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Analysis of mice carrying targeted mutations of the glucocorticoid receptor gene argues against an essential role of glucocorticoid signalling for generating adrenal chromaffin cells

Development ◽

10.1242/dev.126.13.2935 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 126 (13) ◽

pp. 2935-2944 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

S. Finotto ◽

K. Krieglstein ◽

A. Schober ◽

F. Deimling ◽

K. Lindner ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Glucocorticoid Receptor ◽

Chromaffin Cells ◽

Essential Role ◽

Adrenal Chromaffin Cells ◽

Wild Type ◽

Sympathetic Neurones ◽

Adrenal Chromaffin ◽

Deficient Mice

Molecular mechanisms underlying the generation of distinct cell phenotypes is a key issue in developmental biology. A major paradigm of determination of neural cell fate concerns the development of sympathetic neurones and neuroendocrine chromaffin cells from a common sympathoadrenal (SA) progenitor cell. Two decades of in vitro experiments have suggested an essential role of glucocorticoid receptor (GR)-mediated signalling in generating chromaffin cells. Targeted mutation of the GR should consequently abolish chromaffin cells. The present analysis of mice lacking GR gene product demonstrates that animals have normal numbers of adrenal chromaffin cells. Moreover, there are no differences in terms of apoptosis and proliferation or in expression of several markers (e.g. GAP43, acetylcholinesterase, adhesion molecule L1) of chromaffin cells in GR-deficient and wild-type mice. However, GR mutant mice lack the adrenaline-synthesizing enzyme PNMT and secretogranin II. Chromaffin cells of GR-deficient mice exhibit the typical ultrastructural features of this cell phenotype, including the large chromaffin granules that distinguish them from sympathetic neurones. Peripherin, an intermediate filament of sympathetic neurones, is undetectable in chromaffin cells of GR mutants. Finally, when stimulated with nerve growth factor in vitro, identical proportions of chromaffin cells from GR-deficient and wild-type mice extend neuritic processes. We conclude that important phenotypic features of chromaffin cells that distinguish them from sympathetic neurones develop normally in the absence of GR-mediated signalling. Most importantly, chromaffin cells in GR-deficient mice do not convert to a neuronal phenotype. These data strongly suggest that the dogma of an essential role of glucocorticoid signalling for the development of chromaffin cells must be abandoned.

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Morphological Observations on the Granule Types in Rabbit Extra-Adrenal Chromaffin Cells.

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100115213 ◽

1975 ◽

Vol 33 ◽

pp. 318-319

Author(s):

Joe A. Mascorro ◽

Robert D. Yates

Keyword(s):

Chromaffin Cells ◽

Sodium Phosphate ◽

Ganglion Cells ◽

Ultrastructural Level ◽

Osmic Acid ◽

Adrenal Chromaffin Cells ◽

Potassium Iodate ◽

Perfusion Fluid ◽

New Zealand White Rabbits ◽

Adrenal Chromaffin

Extra-adrenal chromaffin organs (abdominal paraganglia) constitute rich sources of catecholamines. It is believed that these bodies contain norepinephrine exclusively. However, the present workers recently observed epinephrine type granules in para- ganglion cells. This report investigates catecholamine containing granules in rabbit paraganglia at the ultrastructural level.New Zealand white rabbits (150-170 grams) were anesthetized with 50 mg/kg Nembutal (IP) and perfused with 3% glutaraldehyde buffered with 0.2M sodium phosphate, pH 7.3. The retroperitoneal tissue blocks were removed and placed in perfusion fluid for 4 hours. The abdominal paraganglia were dissected from the blocks, diced, washed in phosphate buffer and fixed in 1% osmic acid buffered with phosphate. In other animals, the glutaraldehyde perfused tissue blocks were immersed for 1 hour in 3% glutaraldehyde/2.5% potassium iodate buffered as before. The paraganglia were then diced, separated into two vials and washed in the buffer. A portion of this tissue received osmic acid fixation.

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Immunogold labeling of the calcium binding protein synexin in isolated adrenal chromaffin granules and chromaffin cells

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100162326 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 48 (3) ◽

pp. 952-953

Author(s):

Gemma A.J. Kuijpers ◽

Harvey B. Pollard

Keyword(s):

Adrenal Medulla ◽

Calcium Binding ◽

Chromaffin Cells ◽

Cell Activation ◽

Structural Information ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Chromaffin Granules ◽

Immuno Electron Microscopy ◽

Ultrathin Sections ◽

Adrenal Chromaffin

Exocytotic fusion of granules in the adrenal medulla chromaffin cell is triggered by a rise in the concentration of cytosolic Ca2+ upon cell activation. The protein synexin, annexin VII, was originally found in the adrenal medulla and has been shown to cause aggregation and to support fusion of chromaffin granules in a Ca2+-dependent manner. We have previously suggested that synexin may there fore play a role in the exocytotic fusion process. In order to obtain more structural information on synexin, we performed immuno-electron microscopy on frozen ultrathin sections of both isolated chromaffin granules and chromaffin cells.Chromaffin granules were isolated from bovine adrenal medulla, and synexin was isolated from bovine lung. Granules were incubated in the presence or absence of synexin (24 μg per mg granule protein) and Ca2+ (1 mM), which induces maximal granule aggregation, in 0.3M sucrose-40m MMES buffer(pH 6.0). Granules were pelleted, washed twice in buffer without synexin and fixed with 2% glutaraldehyde- 2% para formaldehyde in 0.1 M phosphate buffer (GA/PFA) for 30 min. Chromaffin cells were isolated and cultured for 3-5 days, and washed and incubated in Krebs solution with or without 20 uM nicotine. Cells were fixed 90 sec after on set of stimulation with GA/PFA for 30 min. Fixed granule or cell pellets were washed, infiltrated with 2.3 M sucrose in PBS, mounted and frozen in liquid N2.

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