Pax6 organizes the anterior eye segment by guiding two distinct neural crest waves

• Published in: PLoS genetics Vol. 16; no. 6; p. e1008774
• Main Authors: Takamiya, Masanari, Stegmaier, Johannes, Kobitski, Andrei Yu, Schott, Benjamin, Weger, Benjamin D, Margariti, Dimitra, Cereceda Delgado, Angel R, Gourain, Victor, Scherr, Tim, Yang, Lixin, Sorge, Sebastian, Otte, Jens C, Hartmann, Volker, van Wezel, Jos, Stotzka, Rainer, Reinhard, Thomas, Schlunck, Gunther, Dickmeis, Thomas, Rastegar, Sepand, Mikut, Ralf, Nienhaus, Gerd Ulrich, Strahle, Uwe
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: San Francisco Public Library of Science 17-06-2020; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Anterior segment dysgenesis syndrome; Applied physics; Automation; Biology and Life Sciences; Cell development (Biology); Cornea; Cytological research; Data processing; Defects; Endothelium; Eye; Gene expression; Informatics; Information processing; Mammals; Medicine and Health Sciences; Neural crest; Organogenesis; Pax6 protein; Physiological aspects; Research and Analysis Methods; Sox10 protein; Stem cells; Wnt protein; Germany
• ISSN: 1553-7404; 1553-7390; 1553-7404
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008774

Cranial neural crest (NC) contributes to the developing vertebrate eye. By multidimensional, quantitative imaging, we traced the origin of the ocular NC cells to two distinct NC populations that differ in the maintenance of sox10 expression, Wnt signalling, origin, route, mode and destination of migration. The first NC population migrates to the proximal and the second NC cell group populates the distal (anterior) part of the eye. By analysing zebrafish pax6a/b compound mutants presenting anterior segment dysgenesis, we demonstrate that Pax6a/b guide the two NC populations to distinct proximodistal locations. We further provide evidence that the lens whose formation is pax6a/b-dependent and lens-derived TGF[beta] signals contribute to the building of the anterior segment. Taken together, our results reveal multiple roles of Pax6a/b in the control of NC cells during development of the anterior segment.