Global Control of Motor Neuron Topography Mediated by the Repressive Actions of a Single Hox Gene
Author(s)
Jung, Heekyung; Lacombe, Julie; Mazzoni, Esteban O.; Liem, Karel F., Jr.; Grinstein, Jonathan; Mahony, Shaun; Mukhopadhyay, Debnath; Young, Richard A.; Gifford, David K; ... Show more Show less
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In the developing spinal cord, regional and combinatorial activities of Hox transcription factors are critical in controlling motor neuron fates along the rostrocaudal axis, exemplified by the precise pattern of limb innervation by more than fifty Hox-dependent motor pools. The mechanisms by which motor neuron diversity is constrained to limb levels are, however, not well understood. We show that a single Hox gene, Hoxc9, has an essential role in organizing the motor system through global repressive activities. Hoxc9 is required for the generation of thoracic motor columns, and in its absence, neurons acquire the fates of limb-innervating populations. Unexpectedly, multiple Hox genes are derepressed in Hoxc9 mutants, leading to motor pool disorganization and alterations in the connections by thoracic and forelimb-level subtypes. Genome-wide analysis of Hoxc9 binding suggests that this mode of repression is mediated by direct interactions with Hox regulatory elements, independent of chromatin marks typically associated with repressed Hox genes.
Date issued
2010-09Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Biology; Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer ScienceJournal
Neuron
Publisher
Elsevier
Citation
Jung, Heekyung et al. “Global Control of Motor Neuron Topography Mediated by the Repressive Actions of a Single Hox Gene.” Neuron 67.5 (2010): 781–796.
Version: Author's final manuscript
ISSN
0896-6273
1097-4199