Astrocytic Differentiation in the Developing Neural Tube

SARTORETTI, MICAELA; LANUZA, GUILLERMO

Santiago de Chile

Simposio; Getting in Shape: Visualization and Manipulation of Organismal Morphogenesis; 2013

Santander Universidades y Universidad de Chile

Mechanisms underlying astrocyte diversity in the central nervous system are not well understood. Using mouse genetics, we traced a restricted group of progenitors of the embryonic spinal cord which gives rise to a defined set of astrocytes. Their precursors follow a precise radial pathway of migration, probably through nuclear translocation, while proliferating in the lateral spinal cord, distal from their origin in the ventricular zone. We found that the transcription factor Dbx1 and Notch signaling are involved to control the region-specific allocation of astrocytic precursors.