PUBLICATION

Transmembrane Sema4E guides branchiomotor axons to their targets in zebrafish

Authors
Xiao, T., Shoji, W., Zhou, W., Su, F., and Kuwada, J.Y.
ID
ZDB-PUB-030527-3
Date
2003
Source
The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience   23(10): 4190-4198 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Kuwada, John, Shoji, Wataru, Su, Fengyun, Xiao, Tong, Zhou, Weibin
Keywords
none
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Animals, Genetically Modified
  • Axons/drug effects
  • Axons/metabolism
  • Axons/physiology*
  • Body Patterning/drug effects
  • Body Patterning/genetics
  • Body Patterning/physiology
  • Facial Nerve/drug effects
  • Facial Nerve/metabolism
  • Facial Nerve/physiology
  • Female
  • Gene Expression Regulation/drug effects
  • Gene Expression Regulation/genetics
  • Genetic Vectors
  • Gills/innervation*
  • Gills/physiology
  • HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins/genetics
  • Male
  • Membrane Proteins/biosynthesis
  • Membrane Proteins/genetics
  • Membrane Proteins/physiology*
  • Motor Neurons/drug effects
  • Motor Neurons/metabolism
  • Motor Neurons/physiology*
  • Neural Inhibition/genetics
  • Oligonucleotides, Antisense/pharmacology
  • Phenotype
  • Promoter Regions, Genetic/drug effects
  • Promoter Regions, Genetic/genetics
  • Promoter Regions, Genetic/physiology
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins/biosynthesis
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins/genetics
  • Rhombencephalon/chemistry
  • Rhombencephalon/drug effects
  • Rhombencephalon/metabolism
  • Rhombencephalon/physiology
  • Semaphorins/biosynthesis
  • Semaphorins/genetics
  • Semaphorins/physiology*
  • Zebrafish/embryology
  • Zebrafish/genetics
  • Zebrafish/physiology*
  • Zebrafish Proteins/biosynthesis
  • Zebrafish Proteins/genetics
  • Zebrafish Proteins/physiology*
PubMed
12764107 Full text @ J. Neurosci.
Abstract
Class 4 semaphorins are a large class of transmembrane proteins that contain a sema domain and that are expressed in the CNS, but their in vivo neural function is unknown. In zebrafish, the epithelial cells that line the pharyngeal arches express Sema4E. Extension of branchiomotor axons along the mesenchymal cells bounded by these epithelial cells suggests that Sema4E may act as a repulsive guidance molecule to restrict the branchiomotor axons to the mesenchymal cells. To test this hypothesis, Sema4E was misexpressed in hsp70 promoter-regulated transgenic zebrafish in which sema4E was heat-inducible, and Sema4E was knocked down by injection of antisense morpholino oligonucleotides that acted specifically against Sema4E. Ubiquitous induction of Sema4E retarded outgrowth by the facial and gill branchiomotor axons significantly. Furthermore, outgrowth by gill motor axons was specifically inhibited when Sema4E-expressing transgenic cells were transplanted to their pathway in nontransgenic host embryos. Morpholino knockdown of Sema4E caused facial motor axons to defasciculate and follow aberrant pathways. These results show that Sema4E is repulsive for facial and gill motor axons and functions as a barrier for these axons within the pharyngeal arches.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping