ETS Gene Pea3 Controls the Central Position and Terminal Arborization of Specific Motor Neuron Pools

The projection of developing axons to their targets is a crucial step in the assembly of neuronal circuits. In the spinal cord, the differentiation of specific motor neuron pools is associated with the expression of ETS class transcription factors, notably PEA3 and ER81. Their initial expression coi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Neuron (Cambridge, Mass.) Mass.), 2002-08, Vol.35 (5), p.877-892
Main Authors: Livet, Jean, Sigrist, Markus, Stroebel, Simon, De Paola, Vincenzo, Price, Stephen R., Henderson, Christopher E., Jessell, Thomas M., Arber, Silvia
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Animals
Cell Differentiation - genetics
Experiments
Gene expression
Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental - physiology
Humans
Labeling
Mice
Mice, Inbred C57BL
Mice, Mutant Strains
Mice, Transgenic
Motor Neurons - cytology
Motor Neurons - metabolism
Muscle, Skeletal - cytology
Muscle, Skeletal - innervation
Muscle, Skeletal - metabolism
Neurons
Presynaptic Terminals - metabolism
Retroviridae Proteins, Oncogenic - genetics
Retroviridae Proteins, Oncogenic - physiology
Rodents
Spinal cord
Transcription factors
Transcription Factors - deficiency
Transcription Factors - genetics
Transcription Factors - physiology
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Summary:The projection of developing axons to their targets is a crucial step in the assembly of neuronal circuits. In the spinal cord, the differentiation of specific motor neuron pools is associated with the expression of ETS class transcription factors, notably PEA3 and ER81. Their initial expression coincides with the arrival of motor axons in the vicinity of muscle targets and depends on limb-derived signals. We show that in Pea3 mutant mice, the axons of specific motor neuron pools fail to branch normally within their target muscles, and the cell bodies of these motor neurons are mispositioned within the spinal cord. Thus, the induction of an intrinsic program of ETS gene expression by peripheral signals is required to coordinate the central position and terminal arborization of specific sets of spinal motor neurons.
ISSN:0896-6273
1097-4199
DOI:10.1016/S0896-6273(02)00863-2