Presenter: Charlotte Taylor
Mentor: Judith Eisen
Oral Presentation
Major: Biology
The enteric nervous system (ENS), the largest component of the peripheral nervous system, provides intrinsic innervation of the intestinal tract and modulates gut function. The ENS forms a complex network composed of different neuronal and glial subtypes. Whether these different subtypes arise from distinct progenitors is currently unknown. Developing zebrafish embryos are transparent and genetic manipulations can be used to label progenitor cells and their progeny, thus zebrafish is an excellent model in which to address this question. ENS progenitors express several marker genes, including phox2b, sox10, and ret. Using the zebrafish model, we investigated whether expression of these genes designates distinct ENS progenitor populations. Our co-expression analysis identified three different progenitor subpopulations that express the following marker combinations: phox2b/sox10/ret, phox2b/ret, and phox2b. Our next goal is to test the hypothesis that these subpopulations give rise to distinct neuronal and glial cell types during ENS development. We will use the Cre/loxP lineage tracing system to track progeny of identified progenitor subpopulations. Currently, we are generating BAC constructs that drive expression of Cre recombinase under the control of enteric progenitor specific promoters. We will inject these BAC constructs into a red fluorescent reporter line to permanently label all Cre expressing cells and their progeny and then follow the fate of of these cells in living embryos during ENS development. These results will provide a comprehensive lineage analysis of ENS precursors in vivo and thus offer new insights into ENS development and the developmental potential of individual ENS progenitors.