Cellular expression of a leech netrin suggests roles in the formation of longitudinal nerve tracts and in regional innervation of peripheral targets
✍ Scribed by Gan, Wen-Biao ;Wong, Victoria Y. ;Phillips, Aloysius ;Ma, Charles ;Gershon, Timothy R. ;Macagno, Eduardo R.
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1999
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 516 KB
- Volume
- 40
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0022-3034
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✦ Synopsis
Netrins are secreted, diffusible proteins that direct axonal growth. To study the functions of netrins in the relatively simple and easily accessible nervous system of the leech Hirudo medicinalis, we have cloned a leech netrin and have characterized its expression during embryogenesis. By probing a leech cDNA library at low stringency with chick netrin probes, we have identified a complete cDNA clone that bears significant sequence similarity to netrins of other species. In situ hybridization and dye filling of individual neurons show that this leech netrin is expressed by several identifiable central neurons in every segmental ganglionic primordium during early stages of embryogenesis. Some