A defect of the INK4-Cdk4 checkpoint and Myc collaborate in blastoid mantle cell lymphoma-like lymphoma formation in mice.

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a B-cell malignancy characterized by a monoclonal proliferation of lymphocytes with the co-expression of CD5 and CD43, but not of CD23. Typical MCL is associated with overexpression of cyclin D1, and blastoid MCL variants are associated with Myc (alias c-myc) translocations. In this study, we developed a murine model of MCL-like lymphoma by crossing Cdk4(R24C) mice with Myc-3'RR transgenic mice.

Low-threshold mechanoreceptor subtypes selectively express MafA and are specified by Ret signaling.

Low-threshold mechanoreceptor neurons (LTMs) of the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) are essential for touch sensation. They form highly specialized terminations in the skin and display stereotyped projections in the spinal cord. Functionally defined LTMs depend on neurotrophin signaling for their postnatal survival and functioning, but how these neurons arise during development is unknown.

Retrograde signaling onto Ret during motor nerve terminal maturation.

Establishment of the neuromuscular synapse requires bidirectional signaling between the nerve and muscle. Although much is known on nerve-released signals onto the muscle, less is known of signals important for presynaptic maturation of the nerve terminal. Our results suggest that the Ret tyrosine kinase receptor transmits a signal in motor neuron synapses that contribute to motor neuron survival and synapse maturation at postnatal stages.

Emergence of the sensory nervous system as defined by Foxs1 expression.

Peripheral sensory neurons are derived from two distinct structures, the ectodermal placodes and the neural crest. Here, we establish the forkhead family transcription factor Foxs1 as an early sensory neuronal marker. Early embryonic Foxs1 expression was present in all the sensory nervous system regardless of cellular origin, but was not found in other placode and neural crest-derived cell types.

Soluble and bound forms of GFRalpha1 elicit different GDNF-independent neurite growth responses in primary sensory neurons.

We have investigated the role of glial cell-line derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and the effect of soluble or immobilized localization of its GDNF family receptor alpha1 (GFRalpha1) on neurite growth in cultured embryonic Bax(-/-) dorsal root ganglion neurons, which survive in the absence of trophic support. Whereas GDNF alone has a moderate effect on neurite growth, soluble and immobilized GFRalpha1 elicit opposing and GDNF-independent effects on neurite growth by a phospholipase C (PLC) gamma-dependent mechanism. Thus, GFRalpha1 elicits nerve growth responses independent of GDNF.