The Trk/BDNF cell signaling pathway participates in the neural crest specification

MERCEDES GUADALUPE GARAY; GUILLERMO VEGA LÓPEZ; MANUEL J. AYBAR

Buenos Aires

Congreso; Latin American Society for Developmental Biology 2019 Meeting; 2019

LASDB

The neural crest (NC) is a migratory multipotent cell population, exclusive ofvertebrate embryos, that defined the evolution of this filum. The NC gives rise to a wide variety of cell types and tissues such as sensitive neurons and glia,neuroendocrine cells, connective tissue and cartilage of the head, pigmentarycells, among others. The NC cells arise in the ectoderm between the neural plateand prospective epidermis, undergo the ephitelial-to-mesenchymal transition andthen migrate through the entire embryo to reach their final destination. In ourlaboratory we have demonstrated that multiple cellular signaling pathway participate in NC formation, migration and specification during Xenopus laevisearly embryogenesis. The Trk/BDNF cell signaling pathway has been implicated inmany cellular processes of neural precursors selection and in the development ofsome NC derivatives in chicken and mouse. We have analyzed the spatiotemporalexpression pattern of the components of this signaling pathway in the amphibianXenopus laevis. The gain of function analysis showed that changes in theexpression or function of trk and bdnf affected the expression of specifics neural crest markers and NC specification. Furthermore, the use of dominant negative of Trk receptor and specific knock down of the trk mRNA by the use of a morpholino antisense oligonucleotide produce the opposite effect. To summarize, we have found that the Trk/BDNF signaling is essential for NC formation.