Protocadherin-alpha family is required for serotonergic projections to appropriately innervate target brain areas.

ABSTRACT: Serotonergic axons from the raphe nuclei in the brainstem project to every region of the brain, where they make connections through their extensive terminal arborizations. This serotonergic innervation contributes to various normal behaviors and psychiatric disorders. The protocadherin-alpha (Pcdha) family of clustered protocadherins consists of 14 cadherin-related molecules generated from a single gene cluster. We found that the Pcdhas were strongly expressed in the serotonergic neurons. To elucidate their roles, we examined serotonergic fibers in a mouse mutant (Pcdha(Delta CR/Delta CR)) lacking the Pcdha cytoplasmic region-encoding exons, which are common to the gene cluster. In the first week after birth, the distribution pattern of serotonergic fibers in Pcdha(Delta CR/Delta CR) mice

SUBMITTER: Katori S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6665563 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature