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Updated: May 1, 2026

Physiological, Morphological and Neurochemical Characterization of Neurons Modulated by Movement
Published on: April 21, 2011
Specification of motor neuron identity by the MNR2 homeodomain protein
Y Tanabe1, C William, T M Jessell
1Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Columbia University, New York, New York 10032, USA.
Abstract:
Sonic hedgehog signaling controls the differentiation of motor neurons in the ventral neural tube, but the intervening steps are poorly understood. A differential screen of a cDNA library derived from a single Shh-induced motor neuron has identified a novel homeobox gene, MNR2, expressed by motor neuron progenitors and transiently by postmitotic motor neurons. The ectopic expression of MNR2 in neural cells initiates a program of somatic motor neuron differentiation characterized by the expression of homeodomain proteins, by neurotransmitter phenotype, and by axonal trajectory. Our results suggest that the Shh-mediated induction of a single transcription factor, MNR2, is sufficient to direct somatic motor neuron differentiation.
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