Abstract
Neuropilin 1 is the specific receptor for Sema3A and plays a role in nerve fiber guidance. We report that neuropilin 1 and Sema3A mutant mouse embryos, generated by targeted gene disruption, showed displacement of sympathetic neurons and their precursors and abnormal morphogenesis in the sympathetic trunk. We also show that Sema3A suppressed the cell migration activity of sympathetic neurons from wild-type but not neuropilin 1 mutant embryos in vitro and instead promoted their accumulation into compact cell masses and fasciculation of their neurites. These findings suggest that the neuropilin 1-mediated Sema3A signals regulate arrest and aggregation of sympathetic neuron precursors and sympathetic neurons themselves at defined target sites and axon fasciculation to produce the stereotyped sympathetic nerve pattern.
Publication types
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
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Animals
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Aorta / innervation
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Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors
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Body Patterning*
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Carrier Proteins / genetics
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Carrier Proteins / metabolism*
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Cell Movement
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DNA-Binding Proteins / isolation & purification
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Ganglia, Sympathetic / cytology
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Mice
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Mice, Mutant Strains
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Nerve Tissue Proteins / genetics
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Nerve Tissue Proteins / metabolism*
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Neural Crest / cytology
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Neurites
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Neuropilin-1
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Semaphorin-3A*
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Signal Transduction
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Stem Cells
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Sympathetic Nervous System / embryology*
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Sympathetic Nervous System / surgery
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Transcription Factors / isolation & purification
Substances
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Ascl1 protein, mouse
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Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors
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Carrier Proteins
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DNA-Binding Proteins
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Nerve Tissue Proteins
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Sema3a protein, mouse
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Semaphorin-3A
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Transcription Factors
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Neuropilin-1