| First Author | Watson ED | Year | 2009 |
| Journal | Dev Dyn | Volume | 238 |
| Issue | 10 | Pages | 2564-74 |
| PubMed ID | 19777589 | Mgi Jnum | J:152833 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:4360122 | Doi | 10.1002/dvdy.22088 |
| Citation | Watson ED, et al. (2009) Neural stem cell self-renewal requires the Mrj co-chaperone. Dev Dyn 238(10):2564-2574 |
| abstractText | The Mrj co-chaperone is expressed throughout the mouse conceptus, yet its requirement for placental development has prohibited a full understanding of its embryonic function. Here, we show that Mrj(-/-) embryos exhibit neural tube defects independent of the placenta phenotype, including exencephaly and thin-walled neural tubes. Molecular analyses revealed fewer proliferating cells and a down-regulation of early neural progenitor (Pax6, Olig2, Hes5) and neuronal (Nscl2, SCG10) cell markers in Mrj(-/-) neuroepithelial cells. Furthermore, Mrj(-/-) neurospheres are significantly smaller and form fewer secondary neurospheres indicating that Mrj is necessary for self-renewal of neural stem cells. However, the molecular function of Mrj in this context remains elusive because Mrj does not colocalize with Bmi-1, a self-renewal protein. Furthermore, unlike in Mrj(-/-) placentas, intermediate filament-containing aggregates do not accumulate in Mrj(-/-) neuroepithelium, ruling out nestin as a substrate for Mrj. Regardless, Mrj plays an important role in neural stem cell self-renewal. Developmental Dynamics 238:2564-2574, 2009. (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. |
