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RESEARCH

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The journey from  EGG to FROG!

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Meis3: A TALE-Family Homeobox Protein Controls Posterior Neural Cell Fates in Vertebrates

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A. Over-expression of Meis3 protein INHIBITS FOREBRAIN,  while ENHANCING HINDBRAIN cell fates.

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B. Meis3 protein knock down INHIBITS HINDBRAIN, PRIMARY NEURON & NEURAL CREST fates, while EXPANDING the FOREBRAIN.

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C.  Meis3 Protein acts downstream to mesodermal Wnt3a protein to caudalize the nervous system.

 A

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 Control

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Ectopic Meis3 Expression

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B

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 Control

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Meis3 Protein 

Knock Down

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C

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Meis3 protein restores posterior neural cell fates in the absence of canonical Wnt signaling.

 
Left Panel:
Morphology of mid-late neurula embryos (a) injected at the one-cell stage with either Wnt3a Morpholino (MO) (b), or Meis3 mRNA (c), or doubly-injected with both (d). Neural plate folding and convergence extension-elongation is strongly-inhibited in Wnt3a morphant embryos (b); Meis3 co-expression rescued this phenotype (d). All embryos are viewed dorsally, and oriented with anterior at the top, posterior at the bottom.

 

Right Panel: In situ hybridization of mid-late neurula embryos (a,e,i,m,q) injected at the one-cell stage with either Wnt3a-MO (b,f,j,n,r), or separately with Meis3 mRNA (d,h,l,p,t) or doubly-injected with both (c,g,k,o,s). Anterior-forebrain-specific XAnf1 expression is posteriorly expanded in Wnt3a-morphants (b), and suppressed by Meis3 co-expression (c,d). Expression of the posterior neural markers Krox20 (hindbrain), HoxB3 (hindbrain), N-Tub (primary neuron) and FoxD3 (neural crest) is inhibited in Wnt3a-morphants (f,j,n,r), but rescued by Meis3 co-expression (g,k,o,s). All embryos are viewed dorsally, and oriented with anterior at the top, posterior at the bottom.

 

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Research Projects in my Lab!

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A. Recapitulation and understanding human neural genetic embryonic disorders via early Xenopus development - Bainbridge Ropers Syndrome.  
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B.  Meis3/Hox Proteins and the Neural Crest.
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C.  Evolution of MEIS transcription factor activity during metazoan neural development.
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