General Biology Seminar

The nervous system and vascular system represent two important networks in the body that function not only individually, but also collaboratively. For example, sympathetic innervation is critical for regulation of blood vessel constriction. However, surprisingly little is known about how such interactions between these systems are established during development. Neural crest cells (NCCs) migrate ventrally toward the dorsal aorta, the first-forming embryonic blood vessel, and subsequently give rise to the sympatho-adrenal (SA) lineage. Subsequently, SA-cells segregate into sub-lineages of sympathetic ganglion (Sg) and the adrenal medulla (Am). By manipulating gene expression in the blood vessel- or NCC-specific using transposon-mediated gene transfer in chicken embryos, we have found that the dorsal aorta acts as a signaling center for the sympatho-adrenal morphogenesis. Aorta-derived BMPs determine both SA migration and Sg-Am segregation by regulating expression of SDF1 and Neuregulin1. These results show that BMP-mediated interactions between the neural crest and aorta represent the basis of sympathetic/stress defense system, underlying critical neuro-vascular communications in adults.