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Specification and survival of post-metamorphic branchiomeric neurons in the hindbrain of a non-vertebrate chordate.
Gigante, Eduardo D; Piekarz, Katarzyna M; Gurgis, Alexandra; Cohen, Leslie; Razy-Krajka, Florian; Popsuj, Sydney; Ali, Hussan S; Sundaram, Shruthi Mohana; Stolfi, Alberto.
Affiliation
  • Gigante ED; School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332; USA.
  • Piekarz KM; School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332; USA.
  • Gurgis A; School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332; USA.
  • Cohen L; Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106; USA.
  • Razy-Krajka F; School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332; USA.
  • Popsuj S; School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332; USA.
  • Ali HS; School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332; USA.
  • Sundaram SM; School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332; USA.
  • Stolfi A; School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332; USA.
bioRxiv ; 2023 Aug 14.
Article in En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37645866
Tunicates are the sister group to the vertebrates, yet most species have a life cycle split between swimming larva and sedentary adult phases. During metamorphosis, larval neurons are largely replaced by adult-specific ones. Yet the regulatory mechanisms underlying this neural replacement remain largely unknown. Using tissue-specific CRISPR/Cas9-mediated mutagenesis in the tunicate Ciona, we show that orthologs of conserved hindbrain and branchiomeric neuron regulatory factors Pax2/5/8 and Phox2 are required to specify the "Neck", a compartment of cells set aside in the larva to give rise to cranial motor neuron-like neurons in the adult. Using bulk and single-cell RNAseq analyses, we also characterize the transcriptome of the Neck downstream of Pax2/5/8. Surprisingly, we find that Neck-derived adult ciliomotor neurons begin to differentiate in the larva, contrary to the long-held assumption that the adult nervous system is formed only after settlement and the death of larval neurons during metamorphosis. Finally, we show that manipulating FGF signaling during the larval phase alters the patterning of the Neck and its derivatives. Suppression of FGF converts Neck cells into larval neurons that fail to survive metamorphosis, while prolonged FGF signaling promotes an adult neural stem cell-like fate instead.

Full text: 1 Collection: 01-internacional Database: MEDLINE Language: En Journal: BioRxiv Year: 2023 Document type: Article Country of publication: United States

Full text: 1 Collection: 01-internacional Database: MEDLINE Language: En Journal: BioRxiv Year: 2023 Document type: Article Country of publication: United States