29. 11. 2024
Molecular mechanisms controlling whisker formation in mice
Lecturer: Mehmet Mahsum Kaplan, Ph.D. / Department of Developmental Biology
Annotation: Embryonic development of epithelial structures such as teeth, hair, whiskers, lungs, intestines or some glands requires molecular interaction of the epithelium with the underlying mesenchyme. While we know more about how the epithelial cells signal to the mesenchyme, we do not know much about the signals from the mesenchyme. In this study, we found that Meis2 expression in the mesenchyme is important for whisker formation and the branching of trigeminal nerves that innervate whiskers. While whisker formation does not depend on trigeminal nerves, MEIS2 in mesenchymal cells is critical for the early steps of whisker formation. Single-cell RNA seq data indicated that MEIS2 regulates the expression of transcription factor Foxd1, one of the earliest dermal markers during whisker development. However, the deletion of Foxd1 does not affect whisker development. Overall, our data report an early role of mesenchymal MEIS2 during whisker formation and provide evidence that whiskers can normally develop in the absence of sensory innervation or FOXD1 expression.
The seminar will take place on 5. 12. 2024 from 2 p.m. in the Turquoise Auditorium of the IEM CAS.
We look forward to your participation.