18th International Mouse Genome Conference
17-22 October 2004, Seattle, USA
Plenary Presentations * Oral
Presentations * Poster
Abstracts * Photos
Verne Chapman Memorial Lecture * Table
of Contents * Attendees * Awards
ORAL PRESENTATION
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 20
11.15am – 11.30am
REQUIREMENT OF DELTA1 DURING EARLY NEUROGENESIS IN MICE
Przemeck G1, Wünsch K1, Gossler A2, Hrabé de Angelis M1
1 GSF- National Research Center, Institute of Experimental Genetics, Neuherberg/Munich, Germany, 2 Institute of Molecular Biology OE5250, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, Hannover, Germany
During vertebrate neurogenesis, several Notch ligands and receptors are expressed in distinct as well as overlapping domains suggesting specific functions for and combinatorial interactions between ligands and receptors of the Delta/Notch signal transduction pathway. Lateral inhibition mediated by Notch signaling is required in the central nervous system (CNS) for maintaining neuroepithelial progenitors and their coordinate differentiation into neuronal precursors. Here, we present data on the neuronal phenotype of mouse embryos carrying a null mutation of the Notch ligand Delta1 (Dll1). Whereas various populations of neuronal progenitor cells formed prematurely several specific differentiated cell types are reduced or lost. Together, our findings identify Delta1 as a critical regulator of early neurogenesis in mice and demonstrate different requirements for Delta1 signals in different parts of the nervous system.