Tenascin-N contributes to spinal motor nerve morphogenesis during development
Abstract
Spinal motor nerves are an integral component of the nervous system whose development requires the coordination of many diverse cell types, including motor neurons, glia, and muscle. Although several molecular mechanisms guiding these interactions are known, many remain to be uncovered. ECM proteins also play a critical role in motor nerve assembly, yet their functions are less understood compared to classical pathfinding and guidance cues. Here, we identify a role for tenascin-n (tnn), an ECM glycoprotein, in spinal motor nerve development in zebrafish. Using in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry, we show that tnn/Tnn is expressed and localized along vertical myosepta and the border of the ventral neural tube during spinal motor nerve development. To assess its function, we generated a CRISPR/Cas9 mutant allele, tnnuva96, and performed in vivo imaging and morphological analysis throughout motor nerve development. Loss of tnn leads to a subtle and transient trend of increase in ectopic motor axon exit and aberrant motor axon branching in the zebrafish trunk. Our findings reveal a previously unrecognized role for tnn in spinal motor nerve assembly and expand our understanding of the diverse molecular contributors to spinal motor nerve development and morphogenesis.
Related
- Somatotopic Organization of the Ventroposterior Nucleus of the Thalamus in Macaque Monkeys with Dorsal Spinal Cord Injuries Sustained During Early Postnatal Development
- Ferroptosis of selective progenitor cell types during embryogenesis ensures proper organ morphogenesis
- A versatile fluorescent probe for imaging fibrillar collagen during avian morphogenesis
- The L1-type adhesion molecule Neuroglian controls glial development and optic lobe morphogenesis in Drosophila
- Geometric coordination of endothelial invasion and vascular patterning during epithelial morphogenesis
BibTeX
@article{marcucci2026tenascinn,
title = {{Tenascin-N contributes to spinal motor nerve morphogenesis during development}},
author = {Charles G Marcucci and Brianna Peskin Gifford and Marieke Jones and Coleman Blanton and Sarah Kucenas},
journal = {G3: Genes | Genomes | Genetics},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1093/g3journal/jkag259},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/g3journal/jkag259},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Tenascin-N contributes to spinal motor nerve morphogenesis during development
AU - Charles G Marcucci
AU - Brianna Peskin Gifford
AU - Marieke Jones
AU - Coleman Blanton
AU - Sarah Kucenas
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/21
JO - G3: Genes | Genomes | Genetics
DO - 10.1093/g3journal/jkag259
UR - https://doi.org/10.1093/g3journal/jkag259
AB - Spinal motor nerves are an integral component of the nervous system whose development requires the coordination of many diverse cell types, including motor neurons, glia, and muscle. Although several molecular mechanisms guiding these interactions are known, many remain to be uncovered. ECM proteins also play a critical role in motor nerve assembly, yet their functions are less understood compared to classical pathfinding and guidance cues. Here, we identify a role for tenascin-n (tnn), an ECM glycoprotein, in spinal motor nerve development in zebrafish. Using in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry, we show that tnn/Tnn is expressed and localized along vertical myosepta and the border of the ventral neural tube during spinal motor nerve development. To assess its function, we generated a CRISPR/Cas9 mutant allele, tnnuva96, and performed in vivo imaging and morphological analysis throughout motor nerve development. Loss of tnn leads to a subtle and transient trend of increase in ectopic motor axon exit and aberrant motor axon branching in the zebrafish trunk. Our findings reveal a previously unrecognized role for tnn in spinal motor nerve assembly and expand our understanding of the diverse molecular contributors to spinal motor nerve development and morphogenesis.
SN - 2160-1836
ER -