Development of the Vertebrate Trunk Sensory System: Origins, Specification, Axon Guidance, and Central Connectivity

to an animal's movement through their environment and to the maintenance of their homeostatic physiology is the integration of sensory information. This is achieved by axons communicating from organs, muscle spindles and skin that connect to the sensory ganglia composing the peripheral nervous system (PNS), enabling organisms to collect an ever-constant flow of sensations and relay it to the spinal cord. The sensory system carries a wide spectrum of sensory modalities - from sharp pain to cool refreshing touch - traveling from the periphery to the spinal cord via the dorsal root ganglia (DRG). This review covers the origins and development of the DRG and the cells that populate it, and focuses on how sensory connectivity to the spinal cord is achieved by the diverse developmental and molecular processes that control axon guidance in the trunk sensory system. We also describe convergences and differences in sensory neuron formation among different vertebrate species to gain insight into underlying developmental mechanisms. (c) 2021 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This article discusses the importance of integrating sensory information for an animal's movement through their environment and maintenance of homeostatic physiology. It covers the origins and development of the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and the cells that populate it, as well as the diverse developmental and molecular processes that control sensory connectivity to the spinal cord.