May 30 with Stacy Lee
Dopamine from the Brain Promotes Spinal Motor Neuron Generation during Development and Adult Regeneration.
Presented by Stacey Lee, Graduate Student (Donna Webb Lab)
Reimer et al. (2013) Developmental Cell 25(5): 478-491
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1534580713002414
Neuronal regeneration in humans is an current ambition in developmental biology. However, the molecular mechanisms regulating neurogenesis need to be defined and characterized before we can use these processes in patients with nervous system damage. Since embryonic signaling pathways are often reactivated during regeneration, studying neurogenesis can give us insight into neuronal regeneration. Zebrafish are a great model to study these processes. There are tools for manipulating and visualizing the nervous system in larvae, and adult zebrafish have some regenerative capacities that are absent in mammals. This paper shows that a dopamine cue from the brain promotes formation of motor neurons in the spinal cord. Dopamine also promotes neurogenesis after spinal cord lesion in adults. These findings provide insight into physiological stimuli for neuronal regeneration that could potentially be applicable to mammals.