Upstream Regulatory Sequences Required for Specific Gene Expression in the Ascidian Neural Tube
Upstream Regulatory Sequences Required for Specific Gene Expression in the Ascidian Neural Tube
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DOI：
10.2108/zsj.27.76
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发表时间：
2010-02-01
影响因子：
0.9
通讯作者：
Nishikata, Takahito
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Shimai, Kotaro;Kitaura, Yuki;Nishikata, Takahito
海鞘相对简单的结构和可用的相关分子资源的数量使海鞘成为研究神经管形成分子机制的绝佳实验系统。海鞘神经管表现出与脊椎动物相同的基本形态。我们描述了神经管特异性基因 CiNut1 的表达，该基因在原肠胚阶段的神经管前体细胞内表达，并在神经管形成过程中沿神经管的整个长度表达。在这项研究中，我们重点关注调节 CiNut1 表达的转录机制。我们发现大约 1.0 kb 的上游序列能够重现内源 CiNut1 表达。缺失分析表明，含有两个 ZicL 结合共有序列和一个 Fox 核心序列的 119 bp 上游片段也可以驱动神经管特异性表达。当突变被引入远端 ZicL 结合位点 (ZicL1) 时，神经管特异性表达几乎消失。尽管近端 ZicL 位点 (ZicL2) 和 Fox 核心序列的重要性尚未阐明，但我们假设 ZicL 调节海鞘整个神经管中的基因转录。
The relatively simple structure of ascidians and the number of associated molecular resources that are available make ascidians an excellent experimental system for investigating the molecular mechanisms underlying neural tube formation. The ascidian neural tube demonstrates the same basic morphology as that of vertebrates. We have described the expression of the neural tube-specific gene CiNut1, which is expressed within neural tube precursor cells from the gastrula stage, and along the entire length of the neural tube during its formation. In this study, we focused on the transcriptional mechanisms that regulate CiNut1 expression. We found that an approximately 1.0 kb upstream sequence was able to recapitulate endogenous CiNut1 expression. A deletion analysis showed that the 119 bp upstream fragment containing two ZicL-binding consensus sequences and one Fox core sequence could also drive the neural tube-specific expression. When mutations were introduced into the distal ZicL binding site (ZicL1), the neural tube-specific expression almost disappeared. Although the importance of the proximal ZicL site (ZicL2) and the Fox core sequence have yet to be elucidated, we hypothesize that ZicL regulates gene transcription in the entire neural tube of the ascidian.