Biology subjects

Voas, M. G.

Publications and source records attributed to Voas, M. G..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2023

Ets-1 transcription factor regulates glial cell regeneration and function in planarians

Glia play multifaceted roles in nervous systems in response to injury. Depending on the species, extent of injury, and glial cell type in question, glia can help or hinder the regeneration of neurons. Studying glia in the context of successful regeneration could reveal key features of pro-regenerative glia that could be exploited for improvement of human therapies. Planarian flatworms completely regenerate their nervous systems after injury--including glia--and thus provide a strong model system with which to explore glia in the context of regeneration. Here, we report that planarian glia regenerate after neurons and that glia require neural structures to regenerate near the eyespot. We find that the planarian transcription factor-encoding gene ets-1 promotes glial cell maintenance and regeneration. We also find that ets-1(RNAi) impairs nervous system architecture, neuronal gene expression, and animal behavior. Taken together, the discovery of ets-1 as a regulator of glial persistence presents a critical first step in understanding glial regulation and potential roles of glia in planarian neurobiology. More importantly, we elucidate interrelationships between glia and neurons in the context of robust neural regeneration.

developmental biology↗

bioRxiv2020

Synaptic vesicle fusion along axons is driven by myelination and subsequently accelerates sheath growth in an activity-regulated manner

To study activity-regulated myelination, we imaged synaptic vesicle fusion along single axons in living zebrafish, and found, surprisingly, that axonal synaptic vesicle fusion is driven by myelination. This myelin-induced axonal vesicle fusion was enriched along the unmyelinated domains into which newly-formed sheaths grew, and was promoted by neuronal activity, which in turn accelerated sheath growth. Our results indicate that neuronal activity consolidates sheath growth along axons already selected for myelination.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2019

Parallel control of mechanosensory hair cell orientation by the PCP and Wnt pathways

Cell polarity plays a crucial role during development of vertebrates and invertebrates. Planar Cell Polarity (PCP) is defined as the coordinated polarity of cells within a tissue axis and is essential for processes such as gastrulation, neural tube closure or hearing. Wnt ligands can be instructive or permissive during PCP-dependent processes, and Wnt pathway mutants are often classified as PCP mutants due to the complexity and the similarities between their phenotypes. Our studies of the zebrafish sensory lateral line reveal that disruptions of the PCP and Wnt pathways have differential effects on hair cell orientations. While mutations in PCP genes cause random orientations of hair cells, mutations in Wnt pathway members induce hair cells to adopt a concentric pattern. We show that PCP signaling is normal in hair cells of Wnt pathway mutants and that the concentric hair cell phenotype is due to altered organization of the surrounding support cells. Thus, the PCP and Wnt pathways work in parallel, as separate pathways to establish proper hair cell orientation. Our data suggest that coordinated support cell organization is established during the formation of lateral line primordia, much earlier than the appearance of hair cells. Together, these finding reveal that hair cell orientation defects are not solely explained by defects in PCP signaling and that some hair cell phenotypes warrant reevaluation.

developmental biology↗