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Adnani L, Dixit R, Chen X, Balakrishnan A, Modi H, Touahri Y, Logan C, Schuurmans C. Plag1 and Plagl2 have overlapping and distinct functions in telencephalic development. Biol Open 2018; 7:bio.038661. [PMID: 30361413 PMCID: PMC6262857 DOI: 10.1242/bio.038661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The Plag gene family has three members; Plagl1/Zac1, which is a tumor suppressor gene, and Plag1 and Plagl2, which are proto-oncogenes. All three genes are known to be expressed in embryonic neural progenitors, and Zac1 regulates proliferation, neuronal differentiation and migration in the developing neocortex. Here we examined the functions of Plag1 and Plagl2 in neocortical development. We first attempted, and were unable to generate, E12.5 Plag1;Plagl2 double mutants, indicating that at least one Plag1 or Plagl2 gene copy is required for embryonic survival. We therefore focused on single mutants, revealing a telencephalic patterning defect in E12.5 Plagl2 mutants and a proliferation/differentiation defect in Plag1 mutant neocortices. Specifically, the ventral pallium, a dorsal telencephalic territory, expands into the ventral telencephalon in Plagl2 mutants. In contrast, Plag1 mutants develop normal regional territories, but neocortical progenitors proliferate less and instead produce more neurons. Finally, in gain-of-function studies, both Plag1 and Plagl2 reduce neurogenesis and increase BrdU-uptake, indicative of enhanced proliferation, but while Plagl2 effects on proliferation are more immediate, Plag1 effects are delayed. Taken together, we found that the Plag proto-oncogenes genes are essential regulators of neocortical development and although Plag1 and Plagl2 functions are similar, they do not entirely overlap. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lata Adnani
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, Biological Sciences, Room S1-16A, 2075 Bayview Ave, Toronto, ON, Canada M4N 3M5.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute and Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Rajiv Dixit
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, Biological Sciences, Room S1-16A, 2075 Bayview Ave, Toronto, ON, Canada M4N 3M5.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute and Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Xingyu Chen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute and Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Anjali Balakrishnan
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, Biological Sciences, Room S1-16A, 2075 Bayview Ave, Toronto, ON, Canada M4N 3M5.,Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1A8
| | - Harshil Modi
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, Biological Sciences, Room S1-16A, 2075 Bayview Ave, Toronto, ON, Canada M4N 3M5
| | - Yacine Touahri
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, Biological Sciences, Room S1-16A, 2075 Bayview Ave, Toronto, ON, Canada M4N 3M5
| | - Cairine Logan
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 4N1
| | - Carol Schuurmans
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, Biological Sciences, Room S1-16A, 2075 Bayview Ave, Toronto, ON, Canada M4N 3M5 .,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute and Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 4N1, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1A8
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