An ancient family of embryonically expressed mouse genes sharing a conserved protein motif with the T locus.
The T locus encodes a product with DNA binding activity that is likely to play a role in the development of all vertebrate organisms. We have identified and characterized a novel family of mouse genes that share a protein motif, the T-box, with the prototypical T locus. The T-box domain of the T locus co-localizes with its DNA binding activity. Each T-box gene is expressed in a unique temporal and spatial pattern during embryogenesis. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that at least three T-box genes were present in the common ancestor to vertebrates and invertebrates. Thus, members of the T-box family could have played a role in the evolution of all metazoan organisms.
Bollag
R J
RJ
Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, New Jersey 08544.
Siegfried
Z
Z
Cebra-Thomas
J A
JA
Garvey
N
N
Davison
E M
EM
Silver
L M
LM
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D004330:Drosophila / Q000235:genetics; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development / Q000235:genetics*; D005326:Fetal Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D005796:Genes; D017344:Genes, Insect; D005804:Genes, Lethal; D007448:Invertebrates / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D008648:Mesoderm; D051379:Mice / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013045:Species Specificity; D020825:T-Box Domain Proteins; D014714:Vertebrates / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D000098908:Brachyury Protein
D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D005326:Fetal Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D020825:T-Box Domain Proteins; D000098908:Brachyury Protein; C072962:bi protein, Drosophila