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Role of bone morphogenetic protein signalling in noradrenergic neuron development
Author(s) -
Rohrer H.,
Stanke M.,
Schneider C.,
Muller F.,
Howard M.,
VogelHopker A.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
journal of neurochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.75
H-Index - 229
eISSN - 1471-4159
pISSN - 0022-3042
DOI - 10.1046/j.1471-4159.81.s1.47_4.x
Subject(s) - bone morphogenetic protein , hindbrain , biology , locus coeruleus , neural crest , neuroscience , transcription factor , neuron , bone morphogenetic protein 4 , homeobox , microbiology and biotechnology , central nervous system , gene , embryo , genetics
The autonomic nervous system serves as an excellent model system in which one can study the emergence of distict neuronal subtypes, noradrenergic and cholinergic neurons, from the pool of pluripotent neural crest stem cells. We have shown that signalling molecules of the family of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are essential for sympathetic neuron development. BMPs are expressed in the vicinity of developing sympathetic ganglia and control the expression of a group of transcription factors that are involved in the further specification and differentiation of sympathetic neurons. This group of transcription factors includes the bHLH proteins Mash1 and dHand and the paired homeodomain transcription factors Phox2a and Phox2b. Each of these factors is sufficient to elicit the generation of sympathetic neurons, expressing subtype‐specific and pan‐neuronal genes, to elicit the early development of sympathetic neurons. In the the central nervous system, the development of noradrenergic neurons of the locus coeruleus (LC) depends on Mash1, Phox2a and Phox2b and our recent results reveal that LC neurons are generated in response to the graded action of BMPs in the dorsal hindbrain. Supported by grants from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Fonds der chemischen Industrie and the EU.