Coexpression of Nolz1 and Grg5 induces Hoxc6 expression and partial
lateral LMC specification. (A-C) Confocal micrographs of ventral
chick embryonic spinal cords showing that the onset of Nolz1 expression occurs
prior to that of Hoxc6. The dashed line outlines the spinal cord. (D-G)
Confocal micrographs of electroporated dorsal right halves of St 23 chick
spinal cords. Grg5 expression is not shown but is ∼95-98% coincident with
exogenous Nolz1. The dashed line marks the lateral boundary of the spinal
cord. (H,I) Confocal micrographs of the ventral MN domain of St
23/24 chick embryonic spinal cords electroporated on the right. Yellow cells
in panel I mark thoracic MNs that express Hoxc6. (J-M) Confocal
micrographs of electroporated dorsal right halves of St 23 chick spinal cords.
The dashed line marks the lateral boundary of the spinal cord. The right-hand
side is electroporated in all cases. The high levels of Nolz1 elicited by
overexpression preclude the detection of endogenous Nolz1 under these imaging
conditions. (N) Model for Nolz1-dependent specification of MN subtype
identity. Orange lines mark cells expressing Nolz1. Broken orange line refers
to transient Nolz1 expression. Nolz1 downregulates Lim3 expression in
prospective Lim3-negative MNs and, in a complex with Grg5, maintains the
expression of key MN determinants. At limb levels, Nolz1-Grg5 complexes confer
forelimb LMC identity through induction of Hoxc6, and induce Lim1 expression
in prospective LMCl MNs.