Disruption of CXCR4 signaling in pharyngeal neural crest cells causes DiGeorge syndrome-like malformations

  • Sophie Escot
    Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement, Paris, 75252 Cedex 5, France
  • Cédrine Blavet
    Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement, Paris, 75252 Cedex 5, France
  • Emilie Faure
    Aix Marseille Université, GMGF UMRS910, Faculté de Médecine, 27 Bd Jean Moulin, 13385 Marseille, France
  • Stéphane Zaffran
    Aix Marseille Université, GMGF UMRS910, Faculté de Médecine, 27 Bd Jean Moulin, 13385 Marseille, France
  • Jean-Loup Duband
    Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement, Paris, 75252 Cedex 5, France
  • Claire Fournier-Thibault
    Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement, Paris, 75252 Cedex 5, France

Abstract

<jats:p>DiGeorge syndrome (DGS) is a congenital disease causing cardiac outflow tract anomalies, craniofacial dysmorphogenesis, thymus hypoplasia, and mental disorders. It results from defective development of neural crest cells (NC) that colonize the pharyngeal arches and contribute to lower jaw, neck and heart tissues. Although TBX1 has been identified as the main gene accounting for the defects observed in human patients and mouse models, the molecular mechanisms underlying DGS etiology are poorly identified. The recent demonstrations that SDF1-CXCR4 axis is implicated in NC chemotactic guidance and impaired in cortical interneurons of mouse DGS models prompted us to search for genetic interactions between Tbx1, Sdf1/Cxcl12 and Cxcr4 in pharyngeal NC and to investigate the effect of altering CXCR4 signaling on the ontogeny of their derivatives affected in DGS. Here, we provide evidence that Cxcr4 and Sdf1/Cxcl12 are genetically downstream of Tbx1 during pharyngeal NC development and that reduction of CXCR4 signaling causes misrouting of pharyngeal NC in chick and dramatic morphological alterations in the mandibular skeleton, thymus and cranial sensory ganglia. Our results therefore underlines the possibility of a pivotal role for SDF1/CXCR4 axis in DGS etiology.</jats:p>

Journal

  • Development

    Development 143 582-, 2016-01-01

    The Company of Biologists

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