Pax3 functions in cell survival and in pax7 regulation

Development ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 126 (8) ◽  
pp. 1665-1674 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.G. Borycki ◽  
J. Li ◽  
F. Jin ◽  
C.P. Emerson ◽  
J.A. Epstein
Keyword(s):  
Cell Survival ◽  
Neural Tube ◽  
Muscle Development ◽  
Paraxial Mesoderm ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Presomitic Mesoderm ◽  
Surface Ectoderm ◽  
Dorsal Neural Tube ◽  
Vertebrate Embryos ◽  
Somitic Mesoderm

In developing vertebrate embryos, Pax3 is expressed in the neural tube and in the paraxial mesoderm that gives rise to skeletal muscles. Pax3 mutants develop muscular and neural tube defects; furthermore, Pax3 is essential for the proper activation of the myogenic determination factor gene, MyoD, during early muscle development and PAX3 chromosomal translocations result in muscle tumors, providing evidence that Pax3 has diverse functions in myogenesis. To investigate the specific functions of Pax3 in development, we have examined cell survival and gene expression in presomitic mesoderm, somites and neural tube of developing wild-type and Pax3 mutant (Splotch) mouse embryos. Disruption of Pax3 expression by antisense oligonucleotides significantly impairs MyoD activation by signals from neural tube/notochord and surface ectoderm in cultured presomitic mesoderm (PSM), and is accompanied by a marked increase in programmed cell death. In Pax3 mutant (Splotch) embryos, MyoD is activated normally in the hypaxial somite, but MyoD-expressing cells are disorganized and apoptosis is prevalent in newly formed somites, but not in the neural tube or mature somites. In neural tube and somite regions where cell survival is maintained, the closely related Pax7 gene is upregulated, and its expression becomes expanded into the dorsal neural tube and somites, where Pax3 would normally be expressed. These results establish that Pax3 has complementary functions in MyoD activation and inhibition of apoptosis in the somitic mesoderm and in repression of Pax7 during neural tube and somite development.

Myogenesis in paraxial mesoderm: preferential induction by dorsal neural tube and by cells expressing Wnt-1

Development ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 121 (11) ◽  
pp. 3675-3686 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.M. Stern ◽  
A.M. Brown ◽  
S.D. Hauschka
Keyword(s):  
Neural Tube ◽  
Muscle Development ◽  
Paraxial Mesoderm ◽  
Myogenic Response ◽  
Dorsal Neural Tube ◽  
Ventral Neural Tube ◽  
Myogenic Induction ◽  
Inductive Activity

Previous studies have demonstrated that the neural tube/notochord complex is required for skeletal muscle development within somites. In order to explore the localization of myogenic inducing signals within the neural tube, dorsal or ventral neural tube halves were cultured in contact with single somites or pieces of segmental plate mesoderm. Somites and segmental plates cultured with the dorsal half of the neural tube exhibited 70% and 85% myogenic response rates, as determined by immunostaining for myosin heavy chain. This response was slightly lower than the 100% response to whole neural tube/notochord, but was much greater than the 30% and 10% myogenic response to ventral neural tube with and without notochord. These results demonstrate that the dorsal neural tube emits a potent myogenic inducing signal which accounts for most of the inductive activity of whole neural tube/notochord. However, a role for ventral neural tube/notochord in somite myogenic induction was clearly evident from the larger number of myogenic cells induced when both dorsal neural tube and ventral neural tube/notochord were present. To address the role of a specific dorsal neural tube factor in somite myogenic induction, we tested the ability of Wnt-1-expressing fibroblasts to promote paraxial mesoderm myogenesis in vitro. We found that cells expressing Wnt-1 induced a small number of somite and segmental plate cells to undergo myogenesis. This finding is consistent with the localized dorsal neural tube inductive activity described above, but since the ventral neural tube/notochord also possesses myogenic inductive capacity yet does not express Wnt-1, additional inductive factors are likely involved.

Differential activation of Myf5 and MyoD by different Wnts in explants of mouse paraxial mesoderm and the later activation of myogenesis in the absence of Myf5

Development ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 125 (21) ◽  
pp. 4155-4162 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Tajbakhsh ◽  
U. Borello ◽  
E. Vivarelli ◽  
R. Kelly ◽  
J. Papkoff ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neural Tube ◽  
Muscle Development ◽  
Early Embryo ◽  
Paraxial Mesoderm ◽  
Dorsal Neural Tube ◽  
Muscle Formation ◽  
Correct Pattern ◽  
Dorsal Ectoderm ◽  
Dependent Pathway

Activation of myogenesis in newly formed somites is dependent upon signals derived from neighboring tissues, namely axial structures (neural tube and notochord) and dorsal ectoderm. In explants of paraxial mesoderm from mouse embryos, axial structures preferentially activate myogenesis through a Myf5-dependent pathway and dorsal ectoderm preferentially through a MyoD-dependent pathway. Here we report that cells expressing Wnt1 will preferentially activate Myf5 while cells expressing Wnt7a will preferentially activate MyoD. Wnt1 is expressed in the dorsal neural tube and Wnt7a in dorsal ectoderm in the early embryo, therefore both can potentially act in vivo to activate Myf5 and MyoD, respectively. Wnt4, Wnt5a and Wnt6 exert an intermediate effect activating both Myf5 and MyoD equivalently in paraxial mesoderm. Sonic Hedgehog synergises with both Wnt1 and Wnt7a in explants from E8.5 paraxial mesoderm but not in explants from E9.5 embryos. Signaling through different myogenic pathways may explain the rescue of muscle formation in Myf5 null embryos, which do not form an early myotome but later develop both epaxial and hypaxial musculature. Explants of unsegmented paraxial mesoderm contain myogenic precursors capable of expressing MyoD in response to signaling from a neural tube isolated from E10.5 embryos, the developmental stage when MyoD is present throughout the embryo. Myogenic cells cannot activate MyoD in response to signaling from a less mature neural tube. Together these data suggest that different Wnt molecules can activate myogenesis through different pathways such that commitment of myogenic precursors is precisely regulated in space and time to achieve the correct pattern of skeletal muscle development.

SHH-N upregulates Sfrp2 to mediate its competitive interaction with WNT1 and WNT4 in the somitic mesoderm

Development ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 127 (1) ◽  
pp. 109-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.S. Lee ◽  
L.A. Buttitta ◽  
N.R. May ◽  
A. Kispert ◽  
C.M. Fan
Keyword(s):  
Recombinant Protein ◽  
Neural Tube ◽  
Competitive Interaction ◽  
The Other ◽  
Related Protein ◽  
Surface Ectoderm ◽  
Dorsoventral Polarity ◽  
Dorsal Neural Tube ◽  
Explant Cultures ◽  
Somitic Mesoderm

Dorsoventral polarity of the somitic mesoderm is established by competitive signals originating from adjacent tissues. The ventrally located notochord provides the ventralizing signals to specify the sclerotome, while the dorsally located surface ectoderm and dorsal neural tube provide the dorsalizing signals to specify the dermomyotome. Noggin and SHH-N have been implicated as the ventralizing signals produced by the notochord. Members of the WNT family of proteins, on the other hand, have been implicated as the dorsalizing signals derived from the ectoderm and dorsal neural tube. When presomitic explants are confronted with cells secreting SHH-N and WNT1 simultaneously, competition to specify the sclerotome and dermomyotome domains within the naive mesoderm can be observed. Here, using these explant cultures, we provide evidence that SHH-N competes with WNT1, not only by upregulating its own receptor Ptc1, but also by upregulating Sfrp2 (Secreted frizzled-related protein 2), which encodes a potential WNT antagonist. Among the four known Sfrps, Sfrp2 is the only member expressed in the sclerotome and upregulated by SHH-N recombinant protein. We further show that SFRP2-expressing cells can reduce the dermomyotome-inducing activity of WNT1 and WNT4, but not that of WNT3a. Together, our results support the model that SHH-N at least in part employs SFRP2 to reduce WNT1/4 activity in the somitic mesoderm.

Control of dorsoventral pattern in the chick paraxial mesoderm

Development ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 124 (19) ◽  
pp. 3895-3908 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Dietrich ◽  
F.R. Schubert ◽  
A. Lumsden
Keyword(s):  
Neural Tube ◽  
Floor Plate ◽  
Paraxial Mesoderm ◽  
Chick Embryos ◽  
Surface Ectoderm ◽  
Dorsal Neural Tube ◽  
External Cues

The most profound feature of the mature vertebrate somite is its organisation into dorsal dermomyotome, intermediate myotome and ventral sclerotome. We analysed the role of potential signalling structures in this dorsoventral pattern by ablating them or transplanting them to ectopic locations in chick embryos. Our data suggest that the somite represents a naive tissue, entirely depending on external cues for its dorsoventral organisation. Dorsalisation by signals from dorsal neural tube and surface ectoderm stimulates the development of the dermomyotome. Likewise, signals from notochord and floor plate ventralise the somite, at high levels overriding any dorsal information and inducing the sclerotome. The dorsalising factors and lower levels of the ventralising factors act in concert to induce the myotome. Finally, the paraxial mesoderm intrinsically controls its competence to respond to the external inducers.

Cell-autonomous shift from axial to paraxial mesodermal development in zebrafish floating head mutants

Development ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 121 (12) ◽  
pp. 4257-4264 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.E. Halpern ◽  
C. Thisse ◽  
R.K. Ho ◽  
B. Thisse ◽  
B. Riggleman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neural Tube ◽  
Single Cells ◽  
Floor Plate ◽  
Paraxial Mesoderm ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Genetic Mosaics ◽  
Essential Step ◽  
Ventral Neural Tube ◽  
Mesodermal Development

Zebrafish floating head mutant embryos lack notochord and develop somitic muscle in its place. This may result from incorrect specification of the notochord domain at gastrulation, or from respecification of notochord progenitors to form muscle. In genetic mosaics, floating head acts cell autonomously. Transplanted wild-type cells differentiate into notochord in mutant hosts; however, cells from floating head mutant donors produce muscle rather than notochord in wild-type hosts. Consistent with respecification, markers of axial mesoderm are initially expressed in floating head mutant gastrulas, but expression does not persist. Axial cells also inappropriately express markers of paraxial mesoderm. Thus, single cells in the mutant midline transiently co-express genes that are normally specific to either axial or paraxial mesoderm. Since floating head mutants produce some floor plate in the ventral neural tube, midline mesoderm may also retain early signaling capabilities. Our results suggest that wild-type floating head provides an essential step in maintaining, rather than initiating, development of notochord-forming axial mesoderm.

Inhibition of noggin expression in the dorsal neural tube by somitogenesis: a mechanism for coordinating the timing of neural crest emigration

Development ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 127 (22) ◽  
pp. 4845-4854 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Sela-Donenfeld ◽  
C. Kalcheim
Keyword(s):  
Neural Crest ◽  
Neural Tube ◽  
Neural Crest Cells ◽  
Paraxial Mesoderm ◽  
Dorsal Neural Tube ◽  
Progressive Loss ◽  
Crest Cell ◽  
Rostral Part

We have previously shown that axial-dependent delamination of specified neural crest cells is triggered by BMP4 and negatively regulated by noggin. Increasing activity of BMP4 towards the rostral part of the axis is achieved by graded expression of noggin in the dorsal neural tube, the latter being high opposite unsegmented mesoderm, and progressively downregulated facing epithelial and dissociating somites, coinciding in time and axial level with initial delamination of neural crest cells (Sela-Donenfeld, D. and Kalcheim, C. (1999) Development 126, 4749–4762). Here we report that this gradient-like expression of noggin in the neuroepithelium is controlled by the paraxial mesoderm. Deletion of epithelial somites prevented normal downregulation of noggin in the neural tube. Furthermore, partial ablation of either the dorsal half or only the dorsomedial portion of epithelial somites was sufficient to maintain high noggin expression. In contrast, deletion of the segmental plate had no effect. These data suggest that the dorsomedial region of developing somites produces an inhibitor of noggin transcription in the dorsal neural tube. Consistent with this notion, grafting dissociating somites in the place of the unsegmented mesoderm precociously downregulated the expression of noggin and triggered premature emigration of neural crest progenitors from the caudal neural tube. Thus, opposite the unsegmented mesoderm, where noggin expression is high in the neural tube, BMP4 is inactive and neural crest cells fail to delaminate. Upon somitogenesis and further dissociation, the dorsomedial portion of the somite inhibits noggin transcription. Progressive loss of noggin activity releases BMP4 from inhibition, resulting in crest cell emigration. We propose that this inhibitory crosstalk between paraxial mesoderm and neural primordium controls the timing of neural crest delamination to match the development of a suitable mesodermal substrate for subsequent crest migration.

scholarly journals Pax3acts cell autonomously in the neural tube and somites by controlling cell surface properties

Development ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 128 (11) ◽  
pp. 1995-2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Mansouri ◽  
Patrick Pla ◽  
Lionel Larue ◽  
Peter Gruss
Keyword(s):  
Cell Surface ◽  
Neural Crest ◽  
Surface Properties ◽  
Neural Tube ◽  
Es Cells ◽  
Embryonic Stem ◽  
Neural Tube Closure ◽  
Paraxial Mesoderm ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Cell Surface Properties

Pax3 is a member of the paired-box-containing transcription factors. It is expressed in the developing somites, dorsal spinal cord, mesencephalon and neural crest derivatives. Several loss-of-function mutations are correlated with the Splotch phenotype in mice and Waardenburg syndrome in humans. Malformations include a lack of muscle in the limb, a failure of neural tube closure and dysgenesis of numerous neural crest derivatives. In this study we have used embryonic stem (ES) cells to generate a lacZ knock-in into the Pax3 locus. The Pax3 knock-in Splotch allele (Sp2G) was used to generate Pax3-deficient ES cells in order to investigate whether, in chimeric embryos, Pax3 is acting cell autonomously in the somites and the neural tube. We found that while Pax3 function is essential for the neuroepithelium and somites, a wild-type environment rescues mutant neural crest cells. In the two affected embryonic tissues, mutant and wild-type cells undergo segregation and do not intermingle.The contribution of mutant cells to the neural tube and the somites displayed temporal differences. All chimeric embryos showed a remarkable contribution of blue cells to the neural tube at all stages analyzed, indicating that the Pax3-deficient cells are not excluded from the neural epithelium while development proceeds. In contrast, this is not true for the paraxial mesoderm. The somite contribution of Pax3−/− ES cells becomes less frequent in older embryos as compared to controls with Pax3+/− ES cells. We propose that although Pax3 function is related to cell surface properties, its role may differ in various tissues. In fact, apoptosis was found in Pax3-deficient cells of the lateral dermomyotome but not in the neural tube.

scholarly journals The zebrafish presomitic mesoderm elongates through compression-extension

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lewis Thomson ◽  
Leila Muresan ◽  
Benjamin Steventon
Keyword(s):  
Morphometric Analysis ◽  
Cell Tracking ◽  
Paraxial Mesoderm ◽  
Presomitic Mesoderm ◽  
Volume Increase ◽  
Extension Mechanism ◽  
Adopted Model ◽  
Vertebrate Embryos ◽  
Anterior Posterior

AbstractIn vertebrate embryos the presomitic mesoderm become progressively segmented into somites at the anterior end while extending along the anterior-posterior axis. A commonly adopted model to explain how this tissue elongates is that of posterior growth, driven in part by the addition of new cells from uncommitted progenitor populations in the tailbud. However, in zebrafish, much of somitogenesis is associated with an absence of overall volume increase and posterior progenitors do not contribute new cells until the final stages of somitogenesis. Here, we perform a comprehensive 3D morphometric analysis of the paraxial mesoderm and reveal that extension is linked to a volumetric decrease, compression in both dorsal-ventral and medio-lateral axes, and an increase in cell density. We also find that individual cells decrease in their cell volume over successive somite stages. Live cell tracking confirms that much of this tissue deformation occurs within the presomitic mesoderm progenitor zone and is associated with non-directional rearrangement. Furthermore, unlike the trunk somites that are laid down during gastrulation, tail somites develop from a tissue that can continue to elongate in the absence of functional PCP signalling. Taken together, we propose a compression-extension mechanism of tissue elongation that highlights the need to better understand the role of tissue intrinsic and extrinsic forces play in regulating morphogenesis.

scholarly journals A distinct developmental programme for the cranial paraxial mesoderm in the chick embryo

Development ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 125 (17) ◽  
pp. 3461-3472 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Hacker ◽  
S. Guthrie
Keyword(s):  
Neural Tube ◽  
Branchial Arch ◽  
Paraxial Mesoderm ◽  
Developmental Pathways ◽  
Myogenic Cells ◽  
Branchial Arches ◽  
Developmental Programme ◽  
Myogenic Markers ◽  
Somitic Mesoderm ◽  
Late Stages

Cells of the cranial paraxial mesoderm give rise to parts of the skull and muscles of the head. Some mesoderm cells migrate from locations close to the hindbrain into the branchial arches where they undergo muscle differentiation. We have characterised these migratory pathways in chick embryos either by DiI-labelling cells before migration or by grafting quail cranial paraxial mesoderm orthotopically. These experiments demonstrate that depending on their initial rostrocaudal position, cranial paraxial mesoderm cells migrate to fill the core of specific branchial arches. A survey of the expression of myogenic genes showed that the myogenic markers Myf5, MyoD and myogenin were expressed in branchial arch muscle, but at comparatively late stages compared with their expression in the somites. Pax3 was not expressed by myogenic cells that migrate into the branchial arches despite its expression in migrating precursors of limb muscles. In order to test whether segmental plate or somitic mesoderm has the ability to migrate in a cranial location, we grafted quail trunk mesoderm into the cranial paraxial mesoderm region. While segmental plate mesoderm cells did not migrate into the branchial arches, somitic cells were capable of migrating and were incorporated into the branchial arch muscle mass. Grafted somitic cells in the vicinity of the neural tube maintained expression of the somitic markers Pax3, MyoD and Pax1. By contrast, ectopic somitic cells located distal to the neural tube and in the branchial arches did not express Pax3. These data imply that signals in the vicinity of the hindbrain and branchial arches act on migrating myogenic cells to influence their gene expression and developmental pathways.

The specificity of motor innervation of the chick wing does not depend upon the segmental origin of muscles

Development ◽  
1987 ◽  
Vol 99 (4) ◽  
pp. 565-575 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.J. Keynes ◽  
R.V. Stirling ◽  
C.D. Stern ◽  
D. Summerbell
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Axon Guidance ◽  
Neural Tube ◽  
Muscle Cells ◽  
Motor Axon ◽  
Motor Innervation ◽  
Motor Nerves ◽  
Vertebrate Embryos ◽  
Nerve Muscle ◽  
Somitic Mesoderm

In vertebrate embryos, motor axons originating from a particular craniocaudal position in the neural tube innervate limb muscles derived from myoblasts of the same segmental level. We have investigated whether this relationship is important for the formation of specific nerve-muscle connections, by altering the segmental origin of muscles and examining their resulting innervation. First, by grafting quail wing somites to a new craniocaudal position opposite the chick wing, we established that the segmental origin of a muscle can be altered: presumptive muscle cells migrated according to their new, rather than their original, somitic level, colonizing a different subset of muscles. However, after reversal of a length of brachial somitic mesoderm along the craniocaudal axis, or exchange or shift of brachial somites, the craniocaudal position of wing muscle motoneurone pools within the spinal cord was undisturbed, despite the new segmental origin of the muscles themselves. While not excluding the possibility that muscles and their motor nerves are labelled segmentally, we conclude that specific motor axon guidance in the wing does not depend upon the existence of such labels.

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