Evidence for positive and negative regulation of the Hox-3.1 gene.
The region-specific patterns of expression of mouse homeobox genes are considered important for establishing the embryonic body plan. A 5-kilobase (kb) DNA fragment from the Hox-3.1 locus that is sufficient to confer region-specific expression to a beta-galactosidase reporter gene in transgenic mouse embryos has been defined. The observed reporter gene expression pattern closely parallels endogenous Hox-3.1 expression in 8- to 9.5-day postcoitum (p.c.) embryos. At 10.5 days p.c. and later, the pattern of beta-galactosidase activity diverges from the Hox-3.1 pattern, and an inappropriately high level of reporter gene expression is observed in posterior spinal ganglia. Inclusion of an additional 2 kb of upstream sequences is sufficient to suppress this aberrant expression in the developing spinal ganglia. Together, these results show that the control of early Hox-3.1 expression is complex, involving at least one positively acting and one negatively acting element.
Bieberich
C J
CJ
Department of Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511.
Utset
M F
MF
Awgulewitsch
A
A
Ruddle
F H
FH
D000818:Animals; D004330:Drosophila / Q000235:genetics; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000201:enzymology; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D005801:Genes, Homeobox; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D001616:beta-Galactosidase / Q000235:genetics
D001616:beta-Galactosidase