6533b862fe1ef96bd12c6405

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Spatial and temporal pattern of neuroblasts, proliferation, and Engrailed expression during early brain development in Tenebrio molitor L. (Coleoptera).

Olaf BreidbachRolf UrbachGerhard M. Technau

subject

fungiEmbryogenesisEctodermGeneral MedicineBiologyengrailedSegment polarity genemedicine.anatomical_structureNeuroblastInsect ScienceHead segmentationembryonic structuresMushroom bodiesmedicineNeuroscienceGanglion mother cellEcology Evolution Behavior and SystematicsDevelopmental Biology

description

Abstract In insects, the knowledge of embryonic brain development is still fragmentary, and comparative data are scarce. In this study, we explored aspects of embryonic brain development in the coleopteran Tenebrio molitor . A detailed description is provided of the spatial and temporal pattern of the embryonic brain neuroblasts during 18–60% of embryonic development. Approximately 125 brain NBs have been identified in each hemisphere of the brain at about 40% of embryonic development. A subset of five neuroblasts, among them the two progenitors of the mushroom bodies and two progenitors of the larval antennal lobe, are morphologically identifiable by their larger size. As revealed by incorporation of BrdU, their mitotic behaviour is distinct from that of all other brain NBs, exhibiting an extended period of proliferation into postembryonic stages, and a significantly higher rate of division. To gain insight into the segmental organization of the T. molitor brain, Engrailed expression was examined in the head ectoderm and the deriving components of the CNS (including neuroblasts and their progeny) at different stages of embryonic development.

10.1016/s1467-8039(03)00043-4https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18088999