Distinct transcriptional programs define cranial motor neuron subtypes during vertebrate development
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: ABSTRACT Cranial motor neurons ( cMNs) , form discrete nuclei that control diverse behaviors such as eye movement, feeding, facial expression, and regulation of visceral organ function. However, the developmental programs that drive cMN target choices and functional specialization have not been comprehensively studied in any vertebrate. Here, we present an integrated single-cell RNA-sequencing atlas of zebrafish cMN development and perform extensive validation by HCR in situ hybridization. We find that each cranial motor nucleus expresses a distinct transcriptional signature, and in many cases, we identify transcriptional correlates to functional subtypes within individual nuclei. We find that identity often precedes axon targeting, indicating that cranial motor neuron fate is genetically specified early in development. These distinct identities are shaped by the intersection of shared function, rhombomere origin, and developmental time. A cross-species comparison between zebrafish and mouse reveals that these genetic programs are conserved.
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
Awards: Mechanisms of Target-Specific Axon Regeneration, Topographic mapping by cranial motor neurons, New software tools for differential analysis of single-cell genomics perturbation experiments, Planar cell polarity control of axon guidance, Developmental mechanisms specifying vagal innervation of organ targets
OpenAlex ID: W7167212441