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Cis-acting elements conserved between mouse and pufferfish Otx2 genes govern the expression in mesencephalic neural crest cells
- Source :
- Development. 124:3929-3941
- Publication Year :
- 1997
- Publisher :
- The Company of Biologists, 1997.
-
Abstract
- Previous studies suggested that the Otx2 gene plays an essential role in the development of cranial skeletons and nerves of mesencephalic neural crest origin. To clarify this role, we have identified the cis-acting elements in mouse and pufferfish Otx2 genes responsible for the expression in the crest cells using a transgenic approach with the lacZ reporter gene. In mouse, 49 bp sequences in the proximal 5′ region upstream were essential and sufficient to direct the transgene expression in the cephalic mesenchyme. In pufferfish, the 1.1 kb distal region, located far downstream (from +14.4 to +15.5 kb), had almost identical activity. Between them, several DNA sequences were conserved, and mutational analyses indicated that motif A was critical for the transgene expression in the premandibular region while motif B was critical in both premandibular and mandibular regions. Motif B, CTAATTA, contains the core motif for binding of homeodomain proteins while motif A, TAAATCTG, does not match any known consensus binding sequences for transcriptional factors. The cephalic mesenchyme that expressed β-galactosidase under these cis-elements is most likely to correspond to mesencephalic crest cells. Thus the molecular machinery regulating Otx2 expression in these cells appears to be conserved between mouse and fish, implying a crucial role of the Otx2 gene in development of the neural-crest-derived structures of the gnathostome rostral head.
- Subjects :
- Transgene
Mesenchyme
Molecular Sequence Data
Mice, Transgenic
Nerve Tissue Proteins
Biology
DNA sequencing
Mice
Mesencephalon
medicine
Animals
Molecular Biology
Gene
Transcription factor
Conserved Sequence
Homeodomain Proteins
Otx Transcription Factors
Base Sequence
Fishes
Neural crest
Molecular biology
Enhancer Elements, Genetic
medicine.anatomical_structure
Neural Crest
Trans-Activators
Homeobox
Crest
Sequence Alignment
Sequence Analysis
Developmental Biology
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 14779129 and 09501991
- Volume :
- 124
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Development
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....8ada1310b0e55ee6cd7b2a5a8362bce0