Abstract
To generate the variety of mature neurons and glia found in the develo** retina, the competence of pluripotent progenitor cells to respond to extracellular signals must be controlled. Delta, a ligand of the Notch receptor, is a candidate for regulating progenitor competence on the grounds that activation of the pathway involving Notch and Delta can inhibit cellular differentiation1–6. Here we test this possibility in the develo** Xenopus retina by misexpression of Delta messenger RNA. We find that Delta-misexpressing cells with wild-type neighbours adopt earlier fates, primarily becoming ganglion cells and cone photoreceptors. Progenitors transfected with Delta later in development also produce rod photoreceptors, but not the latest-generated cell types, demonstrating the importance of timing in Delta function. We conclude that Delta signalling in the vertebrate retina is a basic regulatory mechanism that can be used to generate neuronal diversity.
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Dorsky, R., Chang, W., Rapaport, D. et al. Regulation of neuronal diversity in the Xenopus retina by Delta signalling. Nature 385, 67–70 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1038/385067a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/385067a0
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