Abstract
Heparan sulfate (HS) is required for morphogen signaling during Drosophila pattern formation, but little is known about its physiological importance in mammalian development. To define the developmental role of HS in mammalian species, we conditionally disrupted the HS-polymerizing enzyme EXT1 in the embryonic mouse brain. The EXT1-null brain exhibited patterning defects that are composites of those caused by mutations of multiple HS-binding morphogens. Furthermore, the EXT1-null brain displayed severe guidance errors in major commissural tracts, revealing a pivotal role of HS in midline axon guidance. These findings demonstrate that HS is essential for mammalian brain development.
Publication types
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
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Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.
MeSH terms
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Animals
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Axons / physiology*
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Body Patterning
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Brain / abnormalities
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Brain / embryology*
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Cerebellum / embryology
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Cerebral Cortex / abnormalities
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Cerebral Cortex / embryology
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Fibroblast Growth Factor 8
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Fibroblast Growth Factors / metabolism
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Heparitin Sulfate / physiology*
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Homeodomain Proteins / metabolism
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Inferior Colliculi / embryology
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Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
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Mesencephalon / embryology
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Mice
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Mice, Knockout
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Morphogenesis*
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Mutation
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N-Acetylglucosaminyltransferases / genetics
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N-Acetylglucosaminyltransferases / metabolism
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Nerve Tissue Proteins / genetics
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Nerve Tissue Proteins / metabolism
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Optic Chiasm / cytology
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Optic Chiasm / embryology
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Proto-Oncogene Proteins / metabolism
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Retina / cytology
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Rhombencephalon / embryology
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Signal Transduction
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Wnt Proteins
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Zebrafish Proteins*
Substances
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En1 protein, mouse
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Fgf8 protein, mouse
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Homeodomain Proteins
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Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
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Nerve Tissue Proteins
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Proto-Oncogene Proteins
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Slit1 protein, mouse
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Wnt Proteins
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Zebrafish Proteins
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engrailed 2 protein
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Fibroblast Growth Factor 8
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Fibroblast Growth Factors
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Heparitin Sulfate
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N-Acetylglucosaminyltransferases
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exostosin-1
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Slit homolog 2 protein