PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Corradi, Anna
AU  - Croci, Laura
AU  - Broccoli, Vania
AU  - Zecchini, Silvia
AU  - Previtali, Stefano
AU  - Wurst, Wolfgang
AU  - Amadio, Stefano
AU  - Maggi, Roberto
AU  - Quattrini, Angelo
AU  - Consalez, G. Giacomo
TI  - Hypogonadotropic hypogonadism and peripheral neuropathy in

<em>Ebf2</em>-null mice
AID  - 10.1242/dev.00215
DP  - 2003 Jan 15
TA  - Development
PG  - 401--410
VI  - 130
IP  - 2
4099  - http://dev.biologists.org/content/130/2/401.short
4100  - http://dev.biologists.org/content/130/2/401.full
SO  - Development2003 Jan 15; 130
AB  - Olf/Ebf transcription factors have been implicated in numerous developmental processes, ranging from B-cell development to neuronal differentiation. We describe mice that carry a targeted deletion within the Ebf2 (O/E3) gene. In Ebf2-null mutants, because of defective migration of gonadotropin releasing hormone-synthesizing neurons, formation of the neuroendocrine axis (which is essential for pubertal development) is impaired, leading to secondary hypogonadism. In addition, Ebf2-/- peripheral nerves feature defective axon sorting, hypomyelination, segmental dysmyelination and axonal damage, accompanied by a sharp decrease in motor nerve conduction velocity. Ebf2-null mice reveal a novel genetic cause of hypogonadotropic hypogonadism and peripheral neuropathy in the mouse, disclosing an important role for Ebf2 in neuronal migration and nerve development.