PUBLICATION

Nlz belongs to a family of zinc-finger-containing repressors and controls segmental gene expression in the zebrafish hindbrain

Authors
Runko, A.P. and Sagerström, C.G.
ID
ZDB-PUB-031014-6
Date
2003
Source
Developmental Biology   262(2): 254-267 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Runko, Alexander, Sagerström, Charles
Keywords
none
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors
  • Binding Sites
  • DNA-Binding Proteins/metabolism
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental/physiology*
  • Humans
  • Mice
  • Phylogeny
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins
  • Repressor Proteins/metabolism*
  • Rhombencephalon/embryology*
  • Rhombencephalon/metabolism
  • Zebrafish/embryology*
  • Zebrafish/metabolism
  • Zinc Fingers/physiology
PubMed
14550789 Full text @ Dev. Biol.
Abstract
The zebrafish nlz gene has a rostral expression limit at the presumptive rhombomere (r) 3/r4 boundary during gastrula stages, and its expression progressively expands rostrally to encompass both r3 and r2 by segmentation stages, suggesting a role for nlz in hindbrain development. We find that Nlz is a nuclear protein that associates with the corepressor Groucho, suggesting that Nlz acts to repress transcription. Consistent with a role as a repressor, misexpression of nlz causes a loss of gene expression in the rostral hindbrain, likely due to ectopic nlz acting prematurely in this domain, and this repression is accompanied by a partial expansion in the expression domains of r4-specific genes. To interfere with endogenous nlz function, we generated a form of nlz that lacks the Groucho binding site and demonstrate that this construct has a dominant negative effect. We find that interfering with endogenous Nlz function promotes the expansion of r5 and, to a lesser extent, r3 gene expression into r4, leading to a reduction in the size of r4. We conclude that Nlz is a transcriptional repressor that controls segmental gene expression in the hindbrain. Lastly, we identify additional nlz-related genes, suggesting that Nlz belongs to a family of zinc-finger proteins.
Genes / Markers
Figures
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Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping