Chem. Senses 27: 569-572,
2002
© Oxford University Press 2002
SYMPOSIUM: Mechanisms of Differentiation and Migration of Olfactory Progenitors |
Molecular Mechanisms for Migration of Placodally Derived GnRH Neurons
Cellular and Developmental Neurobiology Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
Correspondence to be sent to: Susan Wray, Chief, Cellular and Developmental Neurobiology Section, NINDS, NIH, Building 36, Room 5A-25, Bethesda, MD 20892-4156, USA. e-mail: swray{at}codon.nih.gov
Abstract
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons, critical for reproduction, are derived from the nasal placode and migrate into the brain along nasal axons. GnRH neurons appear to diverge from olfactory sensory cells during early stages of nasal placode differentiation. However, GnRH neurons rely on olfactory/vomeronasal axons as their pathway to the central nervous system (CNS). A novel factor, termed nasal embryonic luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone factor (NELF), was discovered in a differential screen of migrating versus nonmigrating GnRH neurons. NELF is expressed in olfactory sensory cells and GnRH cells in nasal areas. Antisense experiments demonstrated that knock-down of NELF decreased olfactory axon outgrowth and GnRH neuronal migration. These results indicate that NELF plays a role as a guidance molecule for olfactory axon projections and migration of GnRH cells. We hypothesize that NELF acts via a homophilic interaction and that NELF expression is critical for reproduction by insuring that GnRH cells reach the CNS. Furthermore, down-regulation of NELF on GnRH cells as they enter the telencephalon may allow GnRH cells to distinguish a different pathway(s) in the CNS (from those leading to olfactory regions) and thereby facilitate establishment of the appropriate adult-like GnRH distribution.
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