Browsing by Author "Nurcombe, Zachary W."
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Item Open Access Plxna4 and its role in neuronal survival in the developing zebrafish hindbrain(2019-09-17) Nurcombe, Zachary W.; McFarlane, Sarah; Kurrasch-Orbaugh, Deborah M.; Ousman, Shalina S.; Mains, Paul E.Plexins are a family of transmembrane proteins that bind Semaphorin ligands, and are known to function in axon guidance. In embryonic zebrafish, I find that plxna4 is expressed widely in the nervous system early in development, and localizes to the hindbrain as neurogenesis and differentiation proceed. In the hindbrain of a plxna4-/- CRISPR mutant, expression of the Islet transcription factor by cranial motor neurons appears depleted at 48 hours post fertilization, with increased apoptosis at 24 hpf. These data support a survival role for Plexina4 in the embryonic zebrafish hindbrain. Literature indicates that the secreted heat shock protein Clusterin is a candidate ligand to mediate apoptosis through Plexina4, as Clusterin is known to promote cell survival, and bind Plxna4. I find that clu is expressed by the floorplate of the embryonic zebrafish hindbrain. Epistasis experiments reveal Clusterin and Plexina4 promote cell survival in the developing zebrafish hindbrain via independent pathways.