PUBLICATION

The prethalamus is established during gastrulation and influences diencephalic regionalization

Authors
Staudt, N., and Houart, C.
ID
ZDB-PUB-071210-21
Date
2007
Source
PLoS Biology   5(4): e69 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Houart, Corinne, Staudt, Nicole
Keywords
Embryos, Diencephalon, Precursor cells, Thalamus, Cerebrum, Gene expression, Hindbrain, Midbrain
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Animals, Genetically Modified
  • Cell Lineage
  • Diencephalon/embryology*
  • Gastrula*
  • Gene Expression
  • Gene Expression Profiling
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
  • Thalamus/embryology*
PubMed
17341136 Full text @ PLoS Biol.
Abstract
The vertebrate neural plate contains distinct domains of gene expression, prefiguring the future brain areas. In this study, we draw an extended expression map of the rostral neural plate that reveals discrete domains inside the presumptive posterior forebrain. We show, by fate mapping, that these well-defined cell populations will develop into specific diencephalic regions. To address whether these early subterritories are already committed to restricted identities, we began to analyse the consequences of ablation and transplantation of these specific cell populations. We found that precursors of the prethalamus are already specified and irreplaceable at late gastrula stage, because ablation of these cells results in loss of prethalamic markers. Moreover, when transplanted into the ectopic environment of the presumptive hindbrain, these cells still pursue their prethalamic differentiation program. Finally, transplantation of these precursors, in the rostral-most neural epithelium, induces changes in cell identity in the surrounding host forebrain. This cell-non-autonomous property led us to propose that these committed prethalamic precursors may play an instructive role in the regionalization of the developing diencephalon.
Genes / Markers
Figures
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Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping