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Author Spotlight: Mapping Cellular Connectivity in the Zebrafish Nervous System During Development and Regeneration
Published on: July 5, 2024
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Schwann cell precursors generate sympathoadrenal system during zebrafish development
Dmitrii Kamenev1, Kazunori Sunadome2, Maxim Shirokov3
1Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Journal of Neuroscience Research
|June 29, 2021
Summary
Schwann cell precursors (SCPs) generate sympathetic neurons and chromaffin cells in zebrafish. This developmental pathway, dependent on ErbB signaling, highlights conserved mechanisms for autonomic nervous system regeneration.
Area of Science:
- Developmental biology
- Neuroscience
- Cell biology
Background:
- The autonomic nervous system regulates tissue homeostasis via innervation and hormone release.
- Developmental origins of autonomic neurons and chromaffin cells remain incompletely understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the developmental origins of autonomic neurons and chromaffin cells in zebrafish.
- To identify cellular and genetic mechanisms governing Schwann cell precursor differentiation.
Main Methods:
- Genetic tracing in zebrafish embryos.
- Pharmacological inhibition of the ErbB pathway.
- Genetic ablation techniques.
Main Results:
- Schwann cell precursors (SCPs) were identified as a major source of sympathetic neurons and chromaffin cells.
- SCPs also contribute to enteric and other autonomic neurons.
- ErbB receptor signaling is crucial for SCP differentiation into neuronal and chromaffin cells.
- SCP-derived cells migrate along motor axons to target tissues.
Conclusions:
- This study reveals a conserved mechanism for autonomic neuron and chromaffin cell generation from SCPs in vertebrates.
- Multipotent SCPs may possess regenerative potential for the autonomic nervous system in postnatal tissues.
