Mammalian BarH1 confers commissural neuron identity on dorsal cells in the spinal cord.

ABSTRACT: Commissural neurons in the spinal cord project their axons through the floor plate using a number of molecular interactions, such as netrins and their receptor DCC (deleted in colorectal cancer). However, the molecular cascades that control differentiation of commissural neurons are less characterized. A homeobox gene, MBH1 (mammalian BarH1) was expressed specifically in a subset of dorsal cells in the developing spinal cord. Transgenic mice that carried lacZ and MBH1-flanking genome sequences demonstrated that MBH1 was expressed by commissural neurons. To analyze the function of MBH1, we established an in vivo electroporation method for the transfer of DNA into the mouse spinal cord. Ectopic expression of MBH1 drove dorsal cells into the fate of commissural neurons with concomitant expres

SUBMITTER: Saba R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6742033 | biostudies-literature | 2003 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature