Mouse whiskers are somatotopically mapped in brainstem trigeminal nuclei as neuronal modules known as barrelettes. Whisker-related afferents form barrelettes in ventral principal sensory (vPrV) nucleus, whereas mandibular input targets dorsal PrV (dPrV). How barrelette neuron identity and circuitry is established is poorly understood. We found that ectopic Hoxa2 expression in dPrV neurons is sufficient to attract whisker-related afferents, induce asymmetrical dendrite arbors, and allow ectopic barrelette map formation. Moreover, the thalamic area forming whisker-related barreloids is prenatally targeted by both vPrV and dPrV axons followed by perinatal large-scale pruning of dPrV axons and refinement of vPrV barrelette input. Ectopic Hoxa2 expression allows topographically directed targeting and refinement of dPrV axons with vPrV axons into a single whisker-related barreloid map. Thus, a single HOX transcription factor is sufficient to switch dPrV into a vPrV barrelette neuron program and coordinate input-output topographic connectivity of a dermatome-specific circuit module.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2015.09.031 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Three-dimensional architecture and linearized mapping of vibrissa follicle afferents.
Nat Commun
January 2025
Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Understanding vibrissal transduction has advanced by serial sectioning and identified afferent recordings, but afferent mapping onto the complex, encapsulated follicle remains unclear. Here, we reveal male rat C2 vibrissa follicle innervation through synchrotron X-ray phase contrast tomograms. Morphological analysis identified 5% superficial, ~32 % unmyelinated and 63% myelinated deep vibrissal nerve axons.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExperience-dependent plasticity in early stations of sensory processing in mature brains: effects of environmental enrichment on dendrite measures in trigeminal nuclei.
Brain Struct Funct
April 2022
Department of Anatomy, Histology and Neuroscience, Medical School, Autónoma University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
Nervous systems respond with structural changes to environmental changes even in adulthood. In recent years, experience-dependent structural plasticity was shown not to be restricted to the cerebral cortex, as it also occurs at subcortical and even peripheral levels. We have previously shown that two populations of trigeminal nuclei neurons, trigeminothalamic barrelette neurons of the principal nucleus (Pr5), and intersubnuclear neurons in the caudal division of the spinal trigeminal nucleus (Sp5C) that project to Pr5 underwent morphometric and topological changes in their dendritic trees after a prolonged total or partial loss of afferent input from the vibrissae.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHow the Barrel Cortex Became a Working Model for Developmental Plasticity: A Historical Perspective.
J Neurosci
August 2020
Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Paris Brain Institute, Sorbonne Universités, Paris, France 75013.
For half a century now, the barrel cortex of common laboratory rodents has been an exceptionally useful model for studying the formation of topographically organized maps, neural patterning, and plasticity, both in development and in maturity. We present a historical perspective on how barrels were discovered, and how thereafter, they became a workhorse for developmental neuroscientists and for studies on brain plasticity and activity-dependent modeling of brain circuits. What is particularly remarkable about this sensory system is a cellular patterning that is induced by signals derived from the sensory receptors surrounding the snout whiskers and transmitted centrally to the brainstem (barrelettes), the thalamus (barreloids), and the neocortex (barrels).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDouble deletion of the active zone proteins CAST/ELKS in the mouse forebrain causes high mortality of newborn pups.
Mol Brain
January 2020
Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, 1110 Shimokato, Chuo, Yamanashi, 409-3898, Japan.
Presynaptic active zone cytomatrix proteins are essential elements of neurotransmitter release machinery that govern neural transmission. Among active zone proteins, cytomatrix at the active zone-associated structural protein (CAST) is known to regulate active zone size in retinal photoreceptors and neurotransmitter release by recruiting Ca channels at various synapses. However, the role of ELKS-a protein from the same family as CAST-and the synergistic roles of CAST/ELKS have not been thoroughly investigated, particularly with regard to mouse behavior.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWhisker-Mediated Touch System in Rodents: From Neuron to Behavior.
Front Syst Neurosci
August 2019
School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
A key question in systems neuroscience is to identify how sensory stimuli are represented in neuronal activity, and how the activity of sensory neurons in turn is "read out" by downstream neurons and give rise to behavior. The choice of a proper model system to address these questions, is therefore a crucial step. Over the past decade, the increasingly powerful array of experimental approaches that has become available in non-primate models (e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!