PUBLICATION
Mutations in the stumpy gene reveal intermediate targets for zebrafish motor axons
- Authors
- Beattie, C.E., Melancon, E., and Eisen, J.S.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-000726-3
- Date
- 2000
- Source
- Development (Cambridge, England) 127(12): 2653-2662 (Journal)
- Registered Authors
- Beattie, Christine, Eisen, Judith S., Melançon (Brandenburg), Ellie
- Keywords
- primary motoneuron; muscle pioneer; single-cell transplants; mosaic analysis; laser ablation; genetic mapping
- MeSH Terms
-
- Animals
- Axons/physiology*
- Crosses, Genetic
- Embryo, Nonmammalian/physiology
- Ethylnitrosourea
- Female
- Fertilization
- Male
- Mosaicism*
- Motor Neurons/physiology*
- Mutagenesis*
- Polymerase Chain Reaction
- Spermatozoa/radiation effects
- Spinal Cord/embryology*
- Zebrafish/embryology*
- Zebrafish/genetics*
- PubMed
- 10821763 Full text @ Development
Citation
Beattie, C.E., Melancon, E., and Eisen, J.S. (2000) Mutations in the stumpy gene reveal intermediate targets for zebrafish motor axons. Development (Cambridge, England). 127(12):2653-2662.
Abstract
Primary motoneurons, the earliest developing spinal motoneurons in zebrafish, have highly stereotyped axon projections. Although much is known about the development of these neurons, the molecular cues guiding their axons have not been identified. In a screen designed to reveal mutations affecting motor axons, we isolated two mutations in the stumpy gene that dramatically affect pathfinding by the primary motoneuron, CaP. In stumpy mutants, CaP axons extend along the common pathway, a region shared by other primary motor axons, but stall at an intermediate target, the horizontal myoseptum, and fail to extend along their axon-specific pathway during the first day of development. Later, most CaP axons progress a short distance beyond the horizontal myoseptum, but tend to stall at another intermediate target. Mosaic analysis revealed that stumpy function is needed both autonomously in CaP and non-autonomously in other cells. stumpy function is also required for axons of other primary and secondary motoneurons to progress properly past intermediate targets and to branch. These results reveal a series of intermediate targets involved in motor axon guidance and suggest that stumpy function is required for motor axons to progress from proximally located intermediate targets to distally located ones.
Genes / Markers
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping