Published July 5, 2017
| Version v1
Journal article
Open
An intersectional gene regulatory strategy defines subclass diversity of C. Elegans motor neurons
Creators
- 1. University of Chicago
- 2. Columbia University
- 3. University of British Columbia
- 4. San Raffaele Scientific Institute
Description
A core principle of nervous system organization is the diversification of neuron classes into subclasses that share large sets of features but differ in select traits. We describe here a molecular mechanism necessary for motor neurons to acquire subclass-specific traits in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Cholinergic motor neuron classes of the ventral nerve cord can be subdivided into subclasses along the anterior-posterior (A-P) axis based on synaptic connectivity patterns and molecular features. The conserved COE-type terminal selector UNC-3 not only controls the expression of traits shared by all members of a neuron class, but is also required for subclass-specific traits expressed along the A-P axis. UNC-3, which is not regionally restricted, requires region-specific cofactors in the form of Hox proteins to co-activate subclass-specific effector genes in post-mitotic motor neurons. This intersectional gene regulatory principle for neuronal subclass diversification may be conserved from nematodes to mice.
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Additional details
Identifiers
- DOI
- 10.7554/eLife.25751
- Other
- oai:uchicago.tind.io:9851
Funding
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
- R00NS08498
- Fondazione Telethon
- Human Frontier Science Program
- Career Development Award and Tomizawa Jun-ichi & Keiko Fund
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
- R37NS039996