The Iroquois -Iro and Irx- homeobox genes are conserved Hox targets involved in motor neuron development

Authors
Catarina Catela, Stavroula Assimacopoulos, Yihan Chen, Konstantinos Tsioras, Weidong Feng, Paschalis Kratsios


Lab

Journal
bioRxiv

Abstract
Locomotion is an ancient behavior displayed by invertebrate and vertebrate animals. It is therefore likely that evolutionary pressure led to a considerable degree of conservation in the molecular mechanisms that control the development and function of various cell types essential for locomotion. This is particularly evident at the level of MNs. Accumulating evidence suggests that highly conserved gene regulatory programs control MN development. For example, the homeobox transcription factor HB9/Mnx1, which is transiently expressed in developing MNs, specifies MN subtype identity in worms, flies, simple chordates, and vertebrates74-78. Perhaps the most striking example of conserved regulators of MN development comes from Hox genes, a family of chromosomally clustered homeobox genes. During worm, fly and mouse MN development, region-specific expression of Hox proteins along the anterior-posterior axis of the nervous system is required for the early steps of MN development (e.g., cell specification, circuit assembly)55. Here, we show that members of theIrxhomeobox gene family are expressed in worm, mouse and human MNs, consistent with previousC. elegansstudies and mouse transcriptomic datasets67,71,80. Further,Irxgenes are expressed in MNs of the little skate,Leucoraja erinacea, a marine species of jawed vertebrates, sharing a common ancestor with tetrapods81. The remarkable conservation inIrxMN expression suggests critical functions. Consistent with this idea,irx-1controls MN connectivity inC. elegans71, and our data uncover essential roles forIrx2andIrx6in mouse spinal MN development. Altogether, our findings onIrxgenes together with previous studies on HB9/Mnx1 and Hox genes lend support to the notion that homeobox genes from different families (e.g., HOX, IRX) play crucial roles in MN development.

Keywords/Topics
iroquois;homeobox;genes;conserved;targets;involved;motor;neuron;development;locomotion

BIOSEB Instruments Used:
Grip strength test (BIO-GS4)

Source :

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11160718/

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