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The Role of Pou4 Homologue in the Regeneration and Maintenance of Planarian Sensory Neurons
Abstract
POU4 transcription factors play essential roles in sensory neuron development, however, little is known about their roles in a regenerative context. Here we analyzed the activity of pou4-2 in the planarian Schmidtea mediterranea. Expression analysis revealed that pou4-2 is expressed in ciliated mechanosensory neurons. Inhibition of pou4-2 leads to abnormal sensory neuron regeneration that causes planarians to display rheo- and vibration sensing defects. Additionally, we showed that pou4-2 is downstream of soxB1-2, a transcription factor that is also expressed in mechanosensory neurons. Pou4-2 regulates many downstream targets of soxB1-2. Furthermore, through candidate gene screening, we identified nkx, scratch, foxj1-1, and delta-3 to be involved in the differentiation and regeneration of mid-dorsal ciliated epidermis and/or ciliated mechanosensory neurons. Using RNAi experiments, we established a gene regulatory network to explain how all those genes could potentially interact with one another.
Product Used
Genes
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