Elp1-Mediated Mechanisms Underlying Trigeminal Ganglion Development.

The trigeminal nerve is the largest of the cranial nerves and relays sensations of pain, touch, and temperature from the face and head back to the brain. Cell bodies for this nerve are positioned in the trigeminal ganglion, which arises from the coalescence of neurons and supporting glia derived from two important embryonic cell populations, neural crest cells and placode cells. While the dual cellular origin of the trigeminal ganglion has been known for over 60 years, the molecular mechanisms controlling trigeminal ganglion development remain obscure. Our prior work has shown that the chick embryonic trigeminal ganglion initially forms from cadherin-based interactions between neural crest cells and placode cells. In an effort to elucidate pathways regulating cadherin-mediated trigeminal ganglion assembly, we identified Elongator complex protein 1 (Elp1) as a new regulator of trigeminal ganglion neuron development. Mutations in ELP1cause Familial Dysautonomia, an ultimately fatal disease characterized, in part, by the presence of small trigeminal nerves and a reduced capacity to sense facial pain and temperature. In a mouse model of Familial Dysautonomia, embryos possess trigeminal ganglion innervation deficits and decreased expression of cadherins in trunk neural crest-derived dorsal root ganglia. While Elp1 is vital for neurogenesis and has been implicated in protein trafficking, cell adhesion, and migration, the role of Elp1 in the trigeminal ganglion is unexplored. We hypothesize that Elp1 regulates trigeminal ganglion development by controlling cadherin levels important for continued interactions between neural crest cell and placode cell derivatives. To address this, we have first generated a spatio-temporal expression profile of Elp1 in the chick trigeminal ganglion using section immunohistochemistry. Our preliminary data indicate that Elp1 is expressed in migratory neural crest cells, trigeminal placode cells, and trigeminal placode cell-derived neurons. Additionally, immunocytochemistry of chick trigeminal ganglion explant cultures revealed colocalization of Elp1 and Rab proteins associated with vesicle trafficking. Future experiments will include loss of function assays to investigate the relationship between Elp1 and cadherin trafficking in the trigeminal ganglion. Our results have potential high significance for providing new insights into the function of Elp1 in trigeminal ganglion development and the etiology of diseases like Familial Dysautonomia and others arising from defects in neural crest cells and/or placode cells.