Project 1. Specification and Synaptogenesis of Excitatory Locomotor NeuronsExcitatory interneurons in the ventral spinal cord play important roles in the circuits that control voluntarymovements. Very little is known about how these cell types are specified and how they are assembled intofunctional circuits. In this proposal we will define the genetic program that specifies the V3 class ofglutamtergic inteneurons by focusing on the function of two known bHLH transcription factors, Mashl andNgn3. We will examine the function of V3 interneurons in the locomotor behaviors by genetically ablating orsilencing them and assaying motor outputs. We will use a novel genetic assay system that we havedeveloped to look at synaptic connections from V2 and V3 neurons onto other locomotor circuit neurons,including motor neurons and Renshaw cells. We will examine the development of these connections, andask whether activity plays are role in generating specific patterns of connectivity in the spinal cord withrespect to these glutamatergic interneuron synapses. We will also assess the role that the transcriptionfactors Sim1 and Uncx4.1 play in V3 interneuron axon guidance and synapse formation. Finally, we willaddress the role that Eph-signaling plays in controlling the axon morphology and connectivity of excitatoryneurons such as V3 neurons. These studies will begin to map connections between identified locomotorneurons and determine the mechanisms that control their assembly. As such, this research will providefundamental insights into the development and organization of circuits in the spinal cord that controllocomotion, and will lay the ground work for strategies to treat spinal cord injury and degeneration.
| Zhang, Jingming; Lanuza, Guillermo M; Britz, Olivier et al. (2014) V1 and v2b interneurons secure the alternating flexor-extensor motor activity mice require for limbed locomotion. Neuron 82:138-50 |
| Borowska, Joanna; Jones, Christopher T; Zhang, Han et al. (2013) Functional subpopulations of V3 interneurons in the mature mouse spinal cord. J Neurosci 33:18553-65 |
| Levine, Ariel J; Lewallen, Kathryn A; Pfaff, Samuel L (2012) Spatial organization of cortical and spinal neurons controlling motor behavior. Curr Opin Neurobiol 22:812-21 |
| Bonanomi, Dario; Chivatakarn, Onanong; Bai, Ge et al. (2012) Ret is a multifunctional coreceptor that integrates diffusible- and contact-axon guidance signals. Cell 148:568-82 |
| Bai, Ge; Chivatakarn, Onanong; Bonanomi, Dario et al. (2011) Presenilin-dependent receptor processing is required for axon guidance. Cell 144:106-18 |
| Wang, Biao; Moya, Noel; Niessen, Sherry et al. (2011) A hormone-dependent module regulating energy balance. Cell 145:596-606 |
| Bevins, Nicholas; Lemke, Greg; Reber, Michael (2011) Genetic dissection of EphA receptor signaling dynamics during retinotopic mapping. J Neurosci 31:10302-10 |
| Alaynick, William A; Jessell, Thomas M; Pfaff, Samuel L (2011) SnapShot: spinal cord development. Cell 146:178-178.e1 |
| Grossmann, Katja S; Giraudin, Aurore; Britz, Olivier et al. (2010) Genetic dissection of rhythmic motor networks in mice. Prog Brain Res 187:19-37 |
| Garcia-Campmany, Lidia; Stam, Floor J; Goulding, Martyn (2010) From circuits to behaviour: motor networks in vertebrates. Curr Opin Neurobiol 20:116-25 |
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