Neuronal specification in C. elegans: combining lineage inheritance with intercellular signaling.
The nervous system is composed of a high diversity of neuronal types. How this diversity is generated during development is a key question in neurobiology. Addressing this question is one of the reasons that led Sydney Brenner to develop the nematode C. elegans as a model organism. While there was initially a debate on whether the neuronal specification follows a 'European' model (determined by ancestry) or an 'American' model (determined by intercellular communication), several decades of research have established that the truth lies somewhere in between. Neurons are specified by the combination of transcription factors inherited from the ancestor cells and signaling between neighboring cells (especially Wnt and Notch signaling). This converges to the activation in newly generated postmitotic neurons of a specific set of terminal selector transcription factors that initiate and maintain the differentiation of the neuron. In this review, we also discuss the evolution of these specification mechanisms in other nematodes and beyond.
['Barrière|Antoine|A|0000-0001-8566-417X', 'Bertrand|Vincent|V|0000-0002-9036-2544']
D000818:Animals D017164:Ascaris lumbricoides D060049:Asymmetric Cell Division D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins D019070:Cell Lineage D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental D017238:Genes, Helminth D051379:Mice D008959:Models, Neurological D009348:Nematoda D055495:Neurogenesis D009474:Neurons D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents D051880:Receptors, Notch D013045:Species Specificity D009435:Synaptic Transmission D014157:Transcription Factors D060449:Wnt Signaling Pathway
Neuronal specification C. elegans Wnt signaling transcriptional regulation