Presenter: Charlotte Taylor
Mentors: Judith Eisen and Julia Ganz, Biology
Poster: 62
Major: Biochemistry
The enteric nervous system (ENS) provides intrinsic intestinal innervation and modulates intestinal function. The ENS forms a complex network of neuronal and glial subtypes. ENS progenitors that give rise to this network express different marker genes, e.g. phox2b, sox10, and ret. Using the zebrafish model, we investigated whether expression of these markers defines distinct ENS progenitor subpopulations. Gene expression revealed subpopulations, the most prominent of which are characterized by the following combinations: phox2b; phox2b/ret; phox2b/sox10; phox2b/ret/sox10. We will now determine whether these distinct progenitors have functional significance for ENS development. We will use the Cre/loxP lineage tracing system to track progeny of distinct progenitor subpopulations and determine if they give rise to different ENS cell types. Using BAC-recombineering, we will generate BAC- constructs that drive Cre recombinase expression under enteric progenitor specific promoters (e.g. ret). To test if BAC enteric progenitor promoter sequences drive expression faithfully, we are generating BAC-constructs that drive expression of green fluorescent proteins (GFP). We are currently analyzing ENS GFP expression of a modified ret BAC. After generating Cre-constructs, we will inject them into a reporter line and identify progeny of labeled progenitors at different times during ENS development. Our results will provide a comprehensive lineage analysis of ENS precursors in vivo and thus offer new insights into ENS development and the potential of individual ENS precursors.