Abstract
The autonomic nervous system, which includes the sympathetic neurons and adrenal medulla, originates from the neural crest. Combining avian blood vessel-specific gene manipulation and mouse genetics, we addressed a long-standing question of how neural crest cells (NCCs) generate sympathetic and medullary lineages during embryogenesis. We found that the dorsal aorta acts as a morphogenetic signaling center that coordinates NCC migration and cell lineage segregation. Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) produced by the dorsal aorta are critical for the production of the chemokine stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF 1) and Neuregulin 1 in the para-aortic region, which act as chemoattractants for early migration. Later, BMP signaling is directly involved in the sympatho-medullary segregation. This study provides insights into the complex developmental signaling cascade that instructs one of the earliest events of neurovascular interactions guiding embryonic development.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1578-1581 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Science |
Volume | 336 |
Issue number | 6088 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Jun 22 2012 |
Externally published | Yes |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- General