Neuropilins guide preganglionic sympathetic axons and chromaffin cell precursors to establish the adrenal medulla.

ABSTRACT: The adrenal medulla is composed of neuroendocrine chromaffin cells that secrete adrenaline into the systemic circulation to maintain physiological homeostasis and enable the autonomic stress response. How chromaffin cell precursors colonise the adrenal medulla and how they become connected to central nervous system-derived preganglionic sympathetic neurons remain largely unknown. By combining lineage tracing, gene expression studies, genetic ablation and the analysis of mouse mutants, we demonstrate that preganglionic axons direct chromaffin cell precursors into the adrenal primordia. We further show that preganglionic axons and chromaffin cell precursors require class 3 semaphorin (SEMA3) signalling through neuropilins (NRP) to target the adrenal medulla. Thus, SEMA3 proteins serve as gui

SUBMITTER: Lumb R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6240312 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature