title: Quox-1, a quail homeobox gene expressed in the embryonic central nervous system, including the forebrain.
abstract: This paper reports the cloning and sequencing of a quail homeobox-containing gene, Quox-1, and its expression pattern in embryos from 3 to 6 days (E3 to E6) of development as determined by in situ hybridization. The opening reading frame in cDNA clone g11 corresponds to a predicted protein of 242 amino acids. Quox-1 protein displays high sequence similarity to the Antennapedia family, especially to the mouse homeodomain-containing protein Hox-1.1 (100% identity in the homeobox region, 77% at the 5' end beyond the homeobox). However, the carboxyl-terminal domain of the postulated protein has no significant homology with other known homeoproteins, including Hox-1.1. In situ hybridization experiments showed that Quox-1 is widely expressed in the developing central nervous system including the entire brain and the spinal cord. Outside the central nervous system, transcription of Quox-1 was mainly detected in the endoderm-derived epithelium of esophagus, trachea, and other digestive organs, as well as in the sensory epithelium of the olfactory region and perichondrium of the vertebrae. Thus, Quox-1 transcripts have a remarkably wide distribution that, unlike the other vertebrate homeobox genes examined to date, encompasses the rostral part of the developing nervous system, including the forebrain.
authors.affiliation: Institut d'Embryologie Cellulaire et Moléculaire du Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique et du Collège de France, Nogent-sur-Marne.
authors.forename: Z G
authors.initials: ZG
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Gehring
authors.forename: N M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Le Douarin
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001921:Brain / Q000196:embryology* / Q000502:physiology; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian; D015870:Gene Expression; D015723:Gene Library; D005801:Genes, Homeobox; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D009928:Organ Specificity; D011784:Quail; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; C067970:Quox-1 protein, Coturnix coturnix; D004247:DNA