Premium
The derivatives of the Wnt3a lineage in the central nervous system
Author(s) -
Louvi Angeliki,
Yoshida Michio,
Grove Elizabeth A.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of comparative neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.855
H-Index - 209
eISSN - 1096-9861
pISSN - 0021-9967
DOI - 10.1002/cne.21461
Subject(s) - biology , neuroscience , brainstem , midbrain , lineage (genetic) , spinal cord , fate mapping , sensory system , thalamus , central nervous system , anatomy , diencephalon , gene , genetics , embryonic stem cell
The dorsal midline of the vertebrate neural tube is a source of signals that direct cell fate specification and proliferation. Using genetic fate mapping in the mouse and a previously generated Wnt3a Cre line, we report here that genetically labeled cells of the Wnt3a lineage migrate widely from the dorsal midline into the dorsal half of the adult brain and spinal cord, contributing to diverse structures in the diencephalon, midbrain, and brainstem and extensively populating the rostral spinal cord. Conspicuously, many of these structures are linked in specific functional networks. Wnt3a lineage cells populate nuclei of the central auditory system from the medulla to thalamus, and the trigeminal sensory system from the cervical spinal cord to the midbrain. Our findings reveal the rich contributions of the Wnt3a lineage to a variety of brain structures and show that functionally integrated nuclei can share a molecular identity, provided by transient gene expression early in their development. J. Comp. Neurol. 504:550–569, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.