Glial precursors clear sensory neuron corpses during development via Jedi-1, an engulfment receptor
Open Access
- 15 November 2009
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Nature in Nature Neuroscience
- Vol. 12 (12), 1534-1541
- https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.2446
Abstract
During development of the peripheral ganglia, 50% of neurons die by apoptosis. This study finds that satellite glial cell precursors clear these neuronal corpses in developing dorsal root ganglia and identifies some of the molecular components involved in this phagocytosis. During the development of peripheral ganglia, 50% of the neurons that are generated undergo apoptosis. How the massive numbers of corpses are removed is unknown. We found that satellite glial cell precursors are the primary phagocytic cells for apoptotic corpse removal in developing mouse dorsal root ganglia (DRG). Confocal and electron microscopic analysis revealed that glial precursors, rather than macrophages, were responsible for clearing most of the dead DRG neurons. Moreover, we identified Jedi-1, an engulfment receptor, and MEGF10, a purported engulfment receptor, as homologs of the invertebrate engulfment receptors Draper and CED-1 expressed in the glial precursor cells. Expression of Jedi-1 or MEGF10 in fibroblasts facilitated binding to dead neurons, and knocking down either protein in glial cells or overexpressing truncated forms lacking the intracellular domain inhibited engulfment of apoptotic neurons. Together, these results suggest a cellular and molecular mechanism by which neuronal corpses are culled during DRG development.Keywords
This publication has 51 references indexed in Scilit:
- Six-Microns-Under Acts Upstream of Draper in the Glial Phagocytosis of Apoptotic NeuronsCell, 2008
- Draper-dependent glial phagocytic activity is mediated by Src and Syk family kinase signallingNature, 2008
- Phagocytic Receptor CED-1 Initiates a Signaling Pathway for Degrading Engulfed Apoptotic CellsPLoS Biology, 2008
- MEGF10 is a mammalian ortholog of CED-1 that interacts with clathrin assembly protein complex 2 medium chain and induces large vacuole formationExperimental Cell Research, 2007
- Physiological Notch signaling promotes gliogenesis in the developing peripheral and central nervous systemsDevelopment, 2007
- Cooperation between Engulfment Receptors: The Case of ABCA1 and MEGF10PLOS ONE, 2006
- Wlds Protection Distinguishes Axon Degeneration following Injury from Naturally Occurring Developmental PruningNeuron, 2006
- Neural crest boundary cap cells constitute a source of neuronal and glial cells of the PNSNature Neuroscience, 2004
- The transcription factor Sox10 is a key regulator of peripheral glial developmentGenes & Development, 2001
- Nerve cell degeneration and death in the trigeminal ganglion of the adult rat following peripheral nerve transectionJournal of Neurocytology, 1978