The dorsal aorta initiates a molecular cascade that instructs sympatho-adrenal specification

Daisuke Saito, Yuta Takase, Hidetaka Murai, Yoshiko Takahashi

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

106 Citations (Scopus)

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 languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1578-1581
Number of pages4
JournalScience
Volume336
Issue number6088
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 22 2012
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The dorsal aorta initiates a molecular cascade that instructs sympatho-adrenal specification'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this