Corticospinal neuron subpopulation-specific developmental genes prospectively indicate mature segmentally specific axon projection targeting.

ABSTRACT: For precise motor control, distinct subpopulations of corticospinal neurons (CSN) must extend axons to distinct spinal segments, from proximal targets in the brainstem and cervical cord to distal targets in thoracic and lumbar spinal segments. We find that developing CSN subpopulations exhibit striking axon targeting specificity in spinal white matter, which establishes the foundation for durable specificity of adult corticospinal circuitry. Employing developmental retrograde and anterograde labeling, and their distinct neocortical locations, we purified developing CSN subpopulations using fluorescence-activated cell sorting to identify genes differentially expressed between bulbar-cervical and thoracolumbar-projecting CSN subpopulations at critical developmental times. These segmentally d

SUBMITTER: Sahni V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8653526 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature