Fibroblast growth factor signalling controls nervous system patterning and pigment cell formation in Ciona intestinalis

Abstract

During the development of the central nervous system (CNS), combinations of transcription factors and signalling molecules orchestrate patterning, specification and differentiation of neural cell types. In vertebrates, three types of melanin-containing pigment cells, exert a variety of functional roles including visual perception. Here we analysed the mechanisms underlying pigment cell specification within the CNS of a simple chordate, the ascidian Ciona intestinalis. Ciona tadpole larvae exhibit a basic chordate body plan characterized by a small number of neural cells. We employed lineage-specific transcription profiling to characterize the expression of genes downstream of fibroblast growth factor signalling, which govern pigment cell formation. We demonstrate that FGF signalling sequentially imposes a pigment cell identity at the expense of anterior neural fates. We identify FGF-dependent and pigment cell-specific factors, including the small GTPase, Rab32/38 and demonstrated its requirement for the pigmentation of larval sensory organs.

Abstract

The fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signalling pathway specifies the fate of pigmented cells in the ascidian Ciona intestinalis. Here, the authors obtain lineage-specific transcription profiles of pigment precursor cells and identify FGF downstream genes involved in central nervous system patterning, and the specification and differentiation of pigmented cells.