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HOXA5 relevance in precerebellar circuits of the hindbrain by Hadrien GLIBERT -
Lundi 11 mai 2026 à 16h30 - Auditoire Jean-Baptiste Carnoy (B.059) - Bâtiment Carnoy - Croix du Sud - 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve
Recent evidence suggests that the HOXA5 transcription factor, beyond its roles in early central nervous system development, may also contribute to later processes, such as synaptogenesis and neural circuit connectivity. The main objective of this work is to test these hypotheses with a focus on the hindbrain precerebellar system.
First, a behavioral screening targeting cerebellar functions revealed that neonatal Hoxa5 loss-of-function leads to increased stereotypical behaviors, without detectable effects on other tested cerebellar and ASD-related behaviors, and highlighted the importance of behavioral tests standardization when assessing higher-order functions. Next, a new transgenic reporter line was generated to be used for the fine anatomical mapping of Hoxa5-positive neuronal projections in the cerebellum. Then, published scRNA-seq data were analyzed to refine the molecular characterization of Hoxa5+ hindbrain neurons and to integrate with existing and future insights into HOXA5 molecular targets and interacting partners. Finally, two in vitro models were developed to address our hypotheses in more amenable 2D models. A primary neuronal culture derived from the murine hindbrain was established, although the low proportion of Hoxa5+ neurons obtained limited its applicability. In contrast, inactivation of Hoxa5 in the P19 pluripotent cell line provided a framework to further investigate the molecular and cellular functions of this transcription factor. Overall, this work indicates HOXA5 might play minor or redundant roles in the precerebellar system and establishes new foundation for future research.
Pay attention : the public defense of Hadrien GLIBERT will also take place in the form of a videoconference
