patch neurons but not late-born matrix neurons in the striatum. We further show that the late-born striatal neurons in these mutants are spared as a result of functional compensation by Notch3. Notably, however, the removal of Notch signaling subsequent to cells leaving the germinal zone has no obvious effect on striatal organization and patterning. These results indicate that Notch signaling is required in neural progenitor cells to control cell fate in the striatum, but is dispensable during subsequent phases of neuronal migration and differentiation. (Berezovska et al., 1999;Franklin et al., 1999;Redmond et al., 2000;Sestan et al., 1999). Because Notch1 null mutants die at embryonic day 9.5 (E9.5) (Conlon et al., 1995;Swiatek et al., 1994), a time prior to formation of the nervous system, it has been impossible to examine the role of Notch signaling in neurogenesis and in subsequent stages of neuronal maturation in vivo. Neural progenitor cells sequentially give rise to different types of neurons, from which it can be predicted that the loss of Notch signaling would result in the production of early cell fates at the expense of later-born cell types in the striatum, because the progenitor population would become prematurely depleted in the absence of Notch activity. However, at least one Notch receptor, Notch3, has been reported to antagonize Notch1 activity on the basis of gain-of-function experiments (Apelqvist et al., 1999;Beatus et al., 1999;Beatus et al., 2001). Notch3 null mutants are viable (Krebs et al., 2003) and display some defects in vasculogenesis (Domenga et al., 2004), but the function of Notch3 in striatal progenitor cells is at present unclear. Moreover, the requirement for Notch signaling once cells exit the VZ is unknown. Both Notch1 and RBP-J (an intracellular mediator of signaling through all Notch receptors) null mutants show signs of precocious neuronal differentiation, although RBP-J mutants display more severe defects than Notch1 null mutants, suggesting that another Notch family member may also play a role in forebrain neurogenesis (de la Pompa et al., 1997).Like Notch1, Notch3 is expressed by progenitor cells within the forebrain (Lindsell et al., 1996). To test the role of Notch1 and Notch3 receptors in regulating neurogenesis in the striatum, we have investigated the phenotypes occurring in single and compound Notch1 conditional and Notch3 null mutant animals. We used the Cre-LoxP system (Sauer and Henderson, 1988) and two different Cre-driver lines to produce two distinct conditional deletions of the Notch1 receptor. In one case, Notch1 is removed throughout the telencephalon from the beginning of neurogenesis onwards. In the second case, Notch1 is deleted only after cells have exited the VZ in the ventral telencephalon. We have assessed striatal development in Notch1 conditional; Notch3 null double mutant mice in the context of both of these Cre-driver lines.We show here that removing Notch1 in the forebrain prior to neurogenesis preferentially affects early-born neurons in the...
SUMMARYThe morphogenetic program that shapes the three semicircular canals (SSCs) must be executed with extreme precision to satisfy their complex vestibular function. The SSCs emerge from epithelial outgrowths of the dorsal otocyst, the central regions of which fuse and resorb to leave three fluid-filled canals. The Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway is active at multiple stages of otic development, including during vestibular morphogenesis. How Wnt/β-catenin functionally integrates with other signaling pathways to sculpt the SSCs and their sensory patches is unknown. We used a genetic strategy to spatiotemporally modulate canonical Wnt signaling activity during SSC development in mice. Our findings demonstrate that Wnt/β-catenin signaling functions in a multifaceted manner during SSC formation. In the early phase, Wnt/β-catenin signaling is required to preserve the epithelial integrity of the vertical canal pouch perimeter (presumptive anterior and posterior SSCs) by establishing a sensory-dependent signaling relay that maintains expression of Dlx5 and opposes expression of the fusion plate marker netrin 1. Without this Wnt signaling activity the sensory to non-sensory signaling cascade fails to be activated, resulting in loss of vestibular hair and support cells and the anterior and posterior SSCs. In the later phase, Wnt/β-catenin signaling becomes restricted to the fusion plate where it facilitates the timely resorption of this tissue. Mosaic recombination of β-catenin in small clusters of canal pouch cells prevents their resorption, causing instead the formation of ectopic SSCs. Together, these disparate functions of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway in epithelial maintenance and resorption help regulate the size, shape and number of SSCs.
Many cells in the mammalian brain undergo apoptosis as a normal and critical part of development but the signals that regulate the survival and death of neural progenitor cells and the neurons they produce are not well understood. The Notch signaling pathway is involved in multiple decision points during development and has been proposed to regulate the survival and apoptosis of neural progenitor cells in the developing brain; however, previous experiments have not resolved whether Notch activity is pro- or anti-apoptotic. To elucidate the function of Notch signaling in the survival and death of cells in the nervous system, we have produced single and compound Notch conditional mutants in which Notch1 and Notch3 are removed at different times during brain development and in different populations of cells. We show here that a large number of neural progenitor cells, as well as differentiating neurons, undergo apoptosis in the absence of Notch1 and Notch3, suggesting that Notch activity promotes the survival of both progenitors and newly differentiating cells in the developing nervous system. Finally, we show that postmitotic neurons do not require Notch activity indefinitely to regulate their survival since elevated levels of cell death are observed only during embryogenesis in the Notch mutants and are not detected in neonates.
Wnt1 and Wnt3a secreted from the dorsal neural tube were previously shown to regulate a gene expression program in the dorsal otic vesicle that is necessary for vestibular morphogenesis (Riccomagno et al., 2005). Unexpectedly, Wnt1−/−; Wnt3a−/− embryos also displayed a pronounced defect in the outgrowth of the ventrally derived cochlear duct. To determine how Wnt signaling in the dorsal otocyst contributes to cochlear development we performed a series of genetic fate mapping experiments using two independent Wnt responsive driver strains (TopCreER and Gbx2CreER) that when crossed to inducible responder lines (RosalacZ or RosazsGreen) permanently labeled dorsomedial otic progenitors and their derivatives. Tamoxifen time course experiments revealed that most vestibular structures showed some degree of labeling when recombination was induced between E7.75 and E12.5, consistent with continuous Wnt signaling activity in this tissue. Remarkably, a population of Wnt responsive cells in the dorsal otocyst was also found to contribute to the sensory epithelium of the cochlear duct, including auditory hair and support cells. Similar results were observed with both TopCreER and Gbx2CreER strains. The ventral displacement of Wnt responsive cells followed a spatiotemporal sequence that initiated in the anterior otic cup at, or immediately prior to, the 17-somite stage (E9) and then spread progressively to the posterior pole of the otic vesicle by the 25-somite stage (E9.5). These lineage-tracing experiments identify the earliest known origin of auditory sensory progenitors within a population of Wnt responsive cells in the dorsomedial otic cup.
The mammalian cochlea develops from a ventral outgrowth of the otic vesicle in response to Shh signaling. Mouse embryos lacking Shh or its essential signal transduction components display cochlear agenesis; however, a detailed understanding of the transcriptional network mediating this process is unclear. Here, we describe an integrated genomic approach to identify Shh-dependent genes and associated regulatory sequences that promote cochlear duct morphogenesis. A comparative transcriptome analysis of otic vesicles from mouse mutants exhibiting loss (Smo ecko) and gain (Shh-P1) of Shh signaling reveal a set of Shh-responsive genes partitioned into four expression categories in the ventral half of the otic vesicle. This target gene classification scheme provides novel insight into several unanticipated roles for Shh, including priming the cochlear epithelium for subsequent sensory development. We also mapped regions of open chromatin in the inner ear by ATAC-seq that, in combination with Gli2 ChIP-seq, identified inner ear enhancers in the vicinity of Shh-responsive genes. These datasets are useful entry points for deciphering Shh-dependent regulatory mechanisms involved in cochlear duct morphogenesis and establishment of its constituent cell types.
The mammalian cochlea develops from a ventral outgrowth of the otic vesicle in response to Shh signaling. Mouse embryos lacking Shh or its essential signal transduction components display cochlear agenesis, however, a detailed understanding of the transcriptional network mediating this process is unclear. Here, we describe an integrated genomic approach to identify Shh dependent genes and associated regulatory sequences that promote cochlear duct morphogenesis. A comparative transcriptome analysis of otic vesicles from mouse mutants exhibiting loss (Smoecko) and gain (Shh-P1) of Shh signaling revealed a set of Shh responsive genes partitioned into four expression categories in the ventral half of the otic vesicle. This target gene classification scheme provided novel insights into several unanticipated roles for Shh, including priming the cochlear epithelium for subsequent sensory development. We also mapped regions of open chromatin in the inner ear by ATAC-seq that, in combination with Gli2 ChIP-seq, identified inner ear enhancers in the vicinity of Shh responsive genes. These datasets are useful entry points for deciphering Shh dependent regulatory mechanisms involved in cochlear duct morphogenesis and establishment of its constituent cell types.SUMMARY STATEMENTAn integrated genomic approach identifies Shh responsive genes and associated regulatory sequences with known and previously uncharacterized roles in cochlear morphogenesis, including genes that prime the cochlea for sensory development.
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