The rewiring of a terminal selector regulatory cascade generates convergent neuronal laterality.

ABSTRACT: Neuronal identity is established and maintained by "terminal-selector" transcription factors, yet how these networks evolve remains unclear. We examined the specification of the chemosensory ASE and thermosensory AFD neurons in the nematode Pristionchus pacificus, a species that expresses the terminal-selector, Ppa-CHE-1, in both sensory neurons. To determine if the ASE neurons exhibit left-right laterality, we used HCR-FISH and transgenic reporters to discover 8 ASE left-right-specific and 3 AFD-specific receptor-type guanylyl-cyclases. Late embryos exhibit a multipotential state in which AFD precursors transiently co-express all three types of ASEL, ASER and AFD markers. A forward genetic screen for defects in ASER asymmetry identified a Ppa-DIE-1 homolog, whereas targeted mutations reve

SUBMITTER: Castro DL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12919926 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature