PUBLICATION

Apical polarity protein PrkCi is necessary for maintenance of spinal cord precursors in zebrafish

Authors
Roberts, R.K., and Appel, B.
ID
ZDB-PUB-090526-13
Date
2009
Source
Developmental Dynamics : an official publication of the American Association of Anatomists   238(7): 1638-1648 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Appel, Bruce, Roberts, Randy
Keywords
neural precursors, zebrafish, oligodendrocytes, fate specification
MeSH Terms
  • Adherens Junctions/genetics
  • Adherens Junctions/physiology
  • Animals
  • Animals, Genetically Modified
  • Cell Differentiation/genetics
  • Cell Polarity/genetics*
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Embryo, Nonmammalian
  • Isoenzymes/genetics
  • Isoenzymes/physiology*
  • Motor Neurons/physiology
  • Neuroepithelial Cells/metabolism
  • Neuroepithelial Cells/physiology
  • Protein Kinase C/genetics
  • Protein Kinase C/physiology*
  • Spinal Cord/embryology
  • Spinal Cord/metabolism
  • Spinal Cord/physiology*
  • Stem Cells/metabolism
  • Stem Cells/physiology*
  • Zebrafish/embryology*
  • Zebrafish/genetics
PubMed
19449304 Full text @ Dev. Dyn.
Abstract
During development, neural precursors divide to produce new precursors and cells that differentiate as neurons and glia. In Drosophila, apicobasal polarity and orientation of the mitotic spindle play important roles in specifying the progeny of neural precursors for different fates. We examined orientation of zebrafish spinal cord precursors using time-lapse imaging and tested the function of protein kinase C, iota (PrkCi), a member of the Par complex of proteins necessary for apicobasal polarity in the nervous system. We found that nearly all precursors divide within the plane of the neuroepithelium of wild-type embryos even when they must produce cells that have different fates. In the absence of PrkCi function, neural precursor divisions become oblique during late embryogenesis and excess oligodendrocytes form concomitant with loss of dividing cells. We conclude that PrkCi function and planar divisions are necessary for asymmetric, self-renewing division of spinal cord precursors.
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