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Longitudinal developmental analysis of prethalamic eminence derivatives in the chick by mapping of Tbr1 in situ expression

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Abstract

The prethalamic eminence (PThE) is the most dorsal subdomain of the prethalamus, which corresponds to prosomere 3 (p3) in the prosomeric model for vertebrate forebrain development. In mammalian and avian embryos, the PThE can be delimited from other prethalamic areas by its lack of Dlx gene expression, as well as by its expression of glutamatergic-related genes such as Pax6, Tbr2 and Tbr1. Several studies in mouse embryos postulate the PThE as a source of migratory neurons that populate given telencephalic centers. Concerning the avian PThE, it is visible at early embryonic stages as a compact primordium, but its morphology becomes cryptic at perinatal stages, so that its developmental course and fate are largely unknown. In this report, we characterize in detail the ontogeny of the chicken PThE from 5 to 15 days of development, according to morphological criteria, and using Tbr1 as a molecular marker for this structure and its migratory cells. We show that initially the PThE contacts rostrally the medial pallium, the pallial amygdala and the paraventricular hypothalamic alar domain. Approximately from embryonic day 6 onwards, the PThE becomes progressively reduced in size and cell content due to massive tangential migration of many of its neuronal derivatives towards nearby subpallial and hypothalamic regions. Our analysis supports that these migratory neurons from the avian PThE target telencephalic centers such as the commissural septal nuclei, as previously described in mammals, but also the diagonal band and preoptic areas, and hypothalamic structures in the paraventricular hypothalamic area.

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Abbreviations

ac:

Anterior commissure

AC:

Nucleus of anterior commissure

ACo:

Amygdala, core nucleus

ah:

Amygdalohypothalamic tract

AHi:

Amygdalohippocampal area

AHil:

Amygdala, hilar region

ATn:

Amygdalar taenial nucleus

BSM:

Bed nucleus of the stria medullaris

ComSe:

Commissural septum

csm:

Cortico-septo-mesencephalic tract

CoS:

Commissural septal nucleus

CoSM:

Commissural septal nucleus medial part

CoSL:

Commissural septal nucleus lateral part

cht:

Chorioidal tela

DB:

Diagonal band nuclei

Dg:

Diagonal band area

EA:

Subpallial extended amygdala

ech:

Eminential chorioidal tela

EPD:

Dorsal entopeduncular nucleus

ESA:

Eminentio-septal area

EW:

Eminential wings

fi:

Fimbria

fich:

Telencephalic fimbrial chorioidal tela

Hb:

Habenula

HDB:

Horizontal limb of the diagonal band

Hi:

Hippocampus

hic:

Hippocampal commissure

HiC:

Hippocampal commissure nucleus

ivf:

Interventricular foramen

IIIv:

Third ventricle

LH:

Lateral hypothalamus

LPO:

Lateral preoptic area

LTer:

Lamina terminalis

lv:

Lateral ventricle

MA:

Medial amygdala

MPO:

Medial preoptic nucleus

MnPO:

Paramedian preoptic nucleus

MPall:

Medial pallium

NCM:

Nidopallium, caudal part, medial region

oc:

Optic chiasm

Pa:

Paraventricular nucleus

Pal:

Pallidus

Pall:

Pallium

PallA:

Pallial amygdala

PallSe:

Pallial septum

pe:

Cerebral peduncle

PHy:

Peduncular hypothalamus

Pir:

Piriform cortex

POA:

Preoptic area

POI:

Preoptic island

POM:

Medial preoptic area

PTh:

Prethalamus

PThE:

Prethalamic eminence

Se:

Septum

SFi:

Septofimbrial nucleus

sm:

Stria medullaris tract

SO:

Supraoptic nucleus

soc:

Supraoptic commissure

SPall:

Subpallium

St:

Striatum

svz:

Subventricular zone

Th:

Thalamus

thch:

Thalamic chorioidal tela

ts:

Terminal sulcus

TS:

Triangular septal nucleus

TP:

Temporal pole

Tu:

Olfactory tubercle

THy:

Terminal hypothalamus

vaf:

Ventral amygdalofugal tract

VDB:

Vertical limb of the diagonal area

VPall:

Ventral pallium

vz:

Ventricular zone

zl:

Zona limitans interthalamica

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Acknowledgements

We thank F. Marín for critical reading of this manuscript. This work was funded by SENECA contract 19904/GERM/15 to LP.

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Correspondence to Antonia Alonso.

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Alonso, A., Trujillo, C.M. & Puelles, L. Longitudinal developmental analysis of prethalamic eminence derivatives in the chick by mapping of Tbr1 in situ expression. Brain Struct Funct 225, 481–510 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-019-02015-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-019-02015-3

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