Zebrafish Tshz3b negatively regulates Hox function in the developing hindbrain
- Authors
- Erickson, T., Pillay, L.M., and Waskiewicz, A.J.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-110701-9
- Date
- 2011
- Source
- Genesis (New York, N.Y. : 2000) 49(9): 725-42 (Journal)
- Registered Authors
- Erickson, Timothy, Waskiewicz, Andrew
- Keywords
- hindbrain, hox, patterning, pbx, rhombomere, segmentation, teashirt, transcription factor
- MeSH Terms
-
- Animals
- Body Patterning/genetics
- Down-Regulation/genetics
- Gene Expression/genetics
- Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental/genetics*
- Homeodomain Proteins/genetics
- Homeodomain Proteins/metabolism*
- Mutation
- Phenotype
- RNA, Messenger/genetics
- Repressor Proteins/genetics
- Repressor Proteins/metabolism
- Rhombencephalon/embryology*
- Rhombencephalon/physiology
- Transcription Factors/genetics
- Transcription Factors/metabolism
- Zebrafish/embryology*
- Zebrafish/genetics
- Zebrafish/metabolism
- Zebrafish Proteins/genetics
- Zebrafish Proteins/metabolism*
- Zinc Fingers/genetics
- Zinc Fingers/physiology
- PubMed
- 21714061 Full text @ Genesis
In flies, the zinc-finger protein Teashirt promotes trunk segmental identities, in part, by repressing the expression and function of anterior hox paralog group (PG) 1-4 genes that specify head fates. Anterior-posterior patterning of the vertebrate hindbrain also requires Hox PG 1-4 function, but the role of vertebrate teashirt-related genes in this process has not been investigated. In this work, we use overexpression and structure-function analyses to show that zebrafish tshz3b antagonizes Hox-dependent hindbrain segmentation. Ectopic Tshz3b perturbs the specification of rhombomere identities and leads to the caudal expansion of r1, the only rhombomere whose identity is specified independently of Hox function. This overexpression phenotype does not require the homeodomain and C-terminal zinc fingers that are unique to vertebrate Teashirt –related proteins, but does require that Tshz3b function as a repressor. Together, these results argue that the negative regulation of Hox PG 1-4 function is a conserved characteristic of Teashirt-related proteins.