Positive autofeedback regulation of Ptf1a transcription generates the levels of PTF1A required to generate itch circuit neurons.

Peripheral somatosensory input is modulated in the dorsal spinal cord by a network of excitatory and inhibitory interneurons. PTF1A is a transcription factor essential in dorsal neural tube progenitors for specification of these inhibitory neurons. Thus, mechanisms regulating Ptf1a expression are key for generating neuronal circuits underlying somatosensory behaviors. Mutations targeted to distinct cis-regulatory elements for Ptf1a in mice, tested the in vivo contribution of each element individually and in combination. Mutations in an autoregulatory enhancer resulted in reduced levels of PTF1A, and reduced numbers of specific dorsal spinal cord inhibitory neurons, particularly those expressing Pdyn and Gal Although these mutants survive postnatally, at ∼3-5 wk they elicit a severe scratching phenotype. Behaviorally, the mutants have increased sensitivity to itch, but acute sensitivity to other sensory stimuli such as mechanical or thermal pain is unaffected. We demonstrate a requirement for positive transcriptional autoregulatory feedback to attain the level of the neuronal specification factor PTF1A necessary for generating correctly balanced neuronal circuits.

Structure of Long-Range Direct and Indirect Spinocerebellar Pathways as Well as Local Spinal Circuits Mediating Proprioception.

Proprioception, the sense of limb and body position, generates a map of the body that is essential for proper motor control, yet we know little about precisely how neurons in proprioceptive pathways are wired. Defining the anatomy of secondary neurons in the spinal cord that integrate and relay proprioceptive and potentially cutaneous information from the periphery to the cerebellum is fundamental to understanding how proprioceptive circuits function. Here, we define the unique anatomic trajectories of long-range direct and indirect spinocerebellar pathways as well as local intersegmental spinal circuits using genetic tools in both male and female mice. We find that Clarke's column neurons, a major contributor to the direct spinocerebellar pathway, has mossy fiber terminals that diversify extensively in the cerebellar cortex with axons terminating bilaterally, but with no significant axon collaterals within the spinal cord, medulla, or cerebellar nuclei. By contrast, we find that two of the indirect pathways, the spino-lateral reticular nucleus and spino-olivary pathways, are in part, derived from cervical Atoh1-lineage neurons, whereas thoracolumbar Atoh1-lineage neurons project mostly locally within the spinal cord. Notably, while cervical and thoracolumbar Atoh1-lineage neurons connect locally with motor neurons, no Clarke's column to motor neuron connections were detected. Together, we define anatomic differences between long-range direct, indirect, and local proprioceptive subcircuits that likely mediate different components of proprioceptive-motor behaviors.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT We define the anatomy of long-range direct and indirect spinocerebellar pathways as well as local spinal proprioceptive circuits. We observe that mossy fiber axon terminals of Clarke's column neurons diversify proprioceptive information across granule cells in multiple lobules on both ipsilateral and contralateral sides, sending no significant collaterals within the spinal cord, medulla, or cerebellar nuclei. Strikingly, we find that cervical spinal cord Atoh1-lineage neurons form mainly the indirect spino-lateral reticular nucleus and spino-olivary tracts and thoracolumbar Atoh1-lineage neurons project locally within the spinal cord, whereas only a few Atoh1-lineage neurons form a direct spinocerebellar tract.

Regulating the dorsal neural tube expression of Ptf1a through a distal 3' enhancer.

Generating the correct balance of inhibitory and excitatory neurons in a neural network is essential for normal functioning of a nervous system. The neural network in the dorsal spinal cord functions in somatosensation where it modulates and relays sensory information from the periphery. PTF1A is a key transcriptional regulator present in a specific subset of neural progenitor cells in the dorsal spinal cord, cerebellum and retina that functions to specify an inhibitory neuronal fate while suppressing excitatory neuronal fates. Thus, the regulation of Ptf1a expression is critical for determining mechanisms controlling neuronal diversity in these regions of the nervous system. Here we identify a sequence conserved, tissue-specific enhancer located 10.8kb 3' of the Ptf1a coding region that is sufficient to direct expression to dorsal neural tube progenitors that give rise to neurons in the dorsal spinal cord in chick and mouse. DNA binding motifs for Paired homeodomain (Pd-HD) and zinc finger (ZF) transcription factors are required for enhancer activity. Mutations in these sequences implicate the Pd-HD motif for activator function and the ZF motif for repressor function. Although no repressor transcription factor was identified, both PAX6 and SOX3 can increase enhancer activity in reporter assays. Thus, Ptf1a is regulated by active and repressive inputs integrated through multiple sequence elements within a highly conserved sequence downstream of the Ptf1a gene.

Phox2a Defines a Developmental Origin of the Anterolateral System in Mice and Humans.

Anterolateral system neurons relay pain, itch, and temperature information from the spinal cord to pain-related brain regions, but the differentiation of these neurons and their specific contribution to pain perception remain poorly defined. Here, we show that most mouse spinal neurons that embryonically express the autonomic-system-associated Paired-like homeobox 2A (Phox2a) transcription factor innervate nociceptive brain targets, including the parabrachial nucleus and the thalamus. We define the Phox2a anterolateral system neuron birth order, migration, and differentiation and uncover an essential role for Phox2a in the development of relay of nociceptive signals from the spinal cord to the brain. Finally, we also demonstrate that the molecular identity of Phox2a neurons is conserved in the human fetal spinal cord, arguing that the developmental expression of Phox2a is a prominent feature of anterolateral system neurons.

Repression by PRDM13 is critical for generating precision in neuronal identity.

The mechanisms that activate some genes while silencing others are critical to ensure precision in lineage specification as multipotent progenitors become restricted in cell fate. During neurodevelopment, these mechanisms are required to generate the diversity of neuronal subtypes found in the nervous system. Here we report interactions between basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcriptional activators and the transcriptional repressor PRDM13 that are critical for specifying dorsal spinal cord neurons. PRDM13 inhibits gene expression programs for excitatory neuronal lineages in the dorsal neural tube. Strikingly, PRDM13 also ensures a battery of ventral neural tube specification genes such as Olig1, Olig2 and Prdm12 are excluded dorsally. PRDM13 does this via recruitment to chromatin by multiple neural bHLH factors to restrict gene expression in specific neuronal lineages. Together these findings highlight the function of PRDM13 in repressing the activity of bHLH transcriptional activators that together are required to achieve precise neuronal specification during mouse development.