TBX3 defines the functional identity of hypothalamic melanocortin neurons

Purpose: Identify cellular pathways controlled by Tbx3 Methods: RNA sequencing of hypothalamic primary neurons from Tbx3 loxP/loxP mice infected with Ad-Cre or Ad-GFP viruses. Results: Unbiased pathway analysis revealed that Tbx3 deletion in primary neurons significantly affected the expression of genes involved in several pathways responsible for controlling cellular proliferation, differentiation and determination of cellular fate. Conclusions: Tbx3 in primary neurons might be implicated in the development and maintenance of neuronal identity. Examination of loss-of-function of Tbx3 in hypothalamic neurons

研究目的：鉴定受Tbx3调控的细胞信号通路。
实验方法：对感染Ad-Cre或Ad-GFP腺病毒的Tbx3 loxP/loxP小鼠的下丘脑原代神经元进行RNA测序（RNA sequencing）。
实验结果：无偏倚通路分析结果显示，原代神经元中Tbx3基因敲除可显著影响参与调控细胞增殖、分化及细胞命运决定的多条通路相关基因的表达水平。
研究结论：原代神经元中的Tbx3可能参与神经元特性的建立与维持；本研究同时针对下丘脑神经元中Tbx3的功能缺失展开了相关探讨。