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Columnar-Intrinsic Cues Shape Premotor Input Specificity in Locomotor Circuits
Myungin Baek1, Chiara Pivetta2, Jeh-Ping Liu3
1Neuroscience Institute, Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA.
Cell Reports
|October 26, 2017
Summary
Motor neurons (MNs) use Hox transcription factors to establish specific connections within the spinal cord. MN identity dictates sensory and premotor neuron targeting, shaping locomotor circuit architecture.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Motor Control
Background:
- Spinal cord circuits control movement by connecting to specific motor neuron (MN) subtypes.
- The role of MNs in directing synaptic specificity within the spinal cord remains largely unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether MNs play an instructive role in shaping synaptic specificity in the spinal cord.
- To determine if MN-intrinsic programs influence the architecture of locomotor circuits.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Hox transcription factors and Hoxc9 gene mutations in motor neurons.
- Examined the targeting of limb proprioceptive sensory neurons and premotor interneurons to motor neurons.
Main Results:
- Hox transcription-factor-dependent programs in MNs are crucial for establishing spinal cord connectivity.
- Altering MN fate (axially projecting to LMC) caused inappropriate targeting of sensory afferents to MNs.
- MN columnar identity influences the pattern and distribution of premotor interneuron inputs.
Conclusions:
- MN-intrinsic programs are essential for the initial architecture of spinal cord locomotor circuits.
- Motor neurons actively instruct the specificity of their central connections, influencing sensory and premotor inputs.
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