Topoisomerase IIβ Selectively Regulates Motor Neuron Identity and Peripheral Connectivity through Hox/Pbx-Dependent Transcriptional Programs

Abstract

Vital motor functions, such as respiration and locomotion, rely on the ability of spinal motor neurons (MNs) to acquire stereotypical positions in the ventral spinal cord and to project with high precision to their peripheral targets. These key properties of MNs emerge during development through transcriptional programs that dictate their subtype identity and connectivity; however, the molecular mechanisms that establish the transcriptional landscape necessary for MN specification are not fully understood. Here, we show that the enzyme topoisomerase IIβ (Top2β) controls MN migration and connectivity. Surprisingly, Top2β is not required for MN generation or survival but has a selective role in columnar specification. In the absence of <i>Top2β</i>, phrenic MN identity is eroded, while other motor columns are partially preserved but fail to cluster to their proper position. In <i>Top2β</i>-/- mice, peripheral connectivity is impaired as MNs exhibit a profound deficit in terminal branching. These defects likely result from the insufficient activation of Hox/Pbx-dependent transcriptional programs as <i>Hox</i> and <i>Pbx</i> genes are downregulated in the absence of <i>Top2β</i>. <i>Top2β</i> mutants recapitulate many aspects of <i>Pbx</i> mutant mice, such as MN disorganization and defects in medial motor column (MMC) specification. Our findings indicate that <i>Top2β</i>, a gene implicated in neurodevelopmental diseases such as autism spectrum disorders, plays a critical, cell-specific role in the assembly of motor circuits.