Getting in touch with your senses: Mechanisms specifying sensory interneurons in the dorsal spinal cord

The spinal cord contains sensory circuits that process information from the body. These circuits rely on dorsal interneurons (dIs) to relay sensory information like pain, heat, or itch to the brain and/or motor circuits to initiate a response. Understanding how these dIs develop is crucial for regenerative therapies to repair somatosensory circuitry after spinal cord injuries or in neurodegenerative conditions. Recent stem cell research has provided insights into generating spinal cell types, including dIs, offering potential treatments for these conditions. The diversity of sensory interneuron patterning is achieved through the reiterated actions of multiple growth factors during spinal cord development. These factors specify distinct interneuron identities by activating self-perpetuating gene regulatory networks to direct the terminal functionality of each neuronal class.

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  Dorsal interneuron fates are specified by mechanisms distinct from those in the ventral spinal cord.
• 2
  Bmps function in a signal-specific manner, such that each Bmp has a specific ability to direct a range of dorsal spinal fates
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  Stem cell-derived dIs are a promising avenue for replacing damaged sensory spinal tissue and developing drug discovery platforms.