Evolutionary conservation of sequence and expression of the bHLH protein Atonal suggests a conserved role in neurogenesis
Evolutionary conservation of sequence and expression of the bHLH protein Atonal suggests a conserved role in neurogenesis
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DOI：
10.1093/hmg/5.9.1207
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发表时间：
1996-09-01
影响因子：
3.5
通讯作者：
Zoghbi, HY
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
BenArie, N;McCall, AE;Zoghbi, HY
atonal是果蝇原基因，属于碱性螺旋-环-螺旋（bHLH）蛋白家族。它在弦索器官和光感受器细胞中表达，缺乏无调性蛋白的果蝇会发生共济失调和失明。本文报道了红粉甲虫、河豚、鸡、小鼠和人的无性同源基因的克隆。bHLH结构域在整个进化过程中是保守的，而整个编码区域在哺乳动物中是高度相似的。鸡和小鼠的同源基因在胚胎发生的早期都在后脑中表达，特别是在预测会产生小脑外部颗粒层的细胞中表达。此外，这些基因在整个脊髓背侧表达，其模式与其他基因（如LH-2和wnt-1）不同。小鼠的同系物（Math1）映射到小鼠的6号染色体，人类的同系物（Math1）映射到人类的4q22号染色体。两个神经系统小鼠突变，Lc和chp，被发现映射到Math1附近，但不是由Math1突变引起的。该基因在胚胎发生过程中的进化保守及其mRNA表达模式表明，它在脊椎动物中枢神经系统的发育中起着关键作用。
atonal is a Drosophila proneural gene that belongs to the family of basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH)-containing proteins. It is expressed in the chordotonal organs and photoreceptor cells, and flies that lack Atonal protein are ataxic and blind. Here we report the cloning of atonal homologs from red flour beetle, puffer fish, chicken, mouse, and human. The bHLH domain is conserved throughout evolution, while the entire coding region is highly similar in mammals. Both the chicken and the mouse homologs are expressed early in embryogenesis in the hind brain, and specifically in cells predicted to give rise to the external granular layer of the cerebellum. In addition, these genes are expressed throughout the dorsal part of the spinal cord, in patterns different from those found for other genes, like LH-2 and wnt-1. The mouse homolog (Math1) maps to mouse chromosome 6, and the human homolog (MATH1) to human chromosome 4q22. Two neurological mouse mutants, Lc and chp, were found to map to the vicinity of Math1, but are not caused by mutations in Math1. The evolutionary conservation of this gene and its mRNA expression patterns during embryogenesis suggests that it plays a key role in the development of the vertebrate central nervous system.