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LGR5/GPR49 is implicated in motor neuron specification in nervous system
Shao-jun Song1, Xing-gang Mao2, Chao Wang3
1Department of Neurosurgery, PLA 254 Hospital, Tianjin, China; Department of Neurosurgery, Hinan Branch of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Haitang Harbor, Sanya, Hainan Province 572013, China.
Neuroscience Letters
|December 3, 2014
Summary
The leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein coupled receptor 5 (LGR5) is crucial for motor neuron development in the nervous system. It regulates key transcription factors essential for motor neuron identity and function.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- The role of stem cell marker LGR5 in the nervous system is largely unknown.
- LGR5 acts as a receptor for Wnt-agonistic R-spondins, influencing various cellular processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the biological functions of LGR5 in the human nervous system.
- To elucidate the role of LGR5 in motor neuron development and identity.
Main Methods:
- Bioinformatics analysis of normal human brain tissues.
- Inhibition and activation of Notch signaling in neural stem cells (NSCs).
- Knockdown of LGR5 and analysis of neuronal and motor neuron marker expression.
Main Results:
- LGR5 expression is linked to neuron development and function in the brain.
- LGR5 and its ligands (RSPO2, RSPO3) are highly expressed in projection motor neurons.
- Notch signaling inhibition promotes LGR5 expression and neurogenesis, while activation inhibits it.
- LGR5 knockdown impairs expression of neuronal markers and motor neuron identity genes.
Conclusions:
- LGR5 is significantly expressed in motor neurons within the nervous system.
- LGR5 plays a vital role in motor neuron development by regulating transcription factors that define motor neuron identity.
