title: Molecular cloning and evolutional analysis of a mammalian homologue of the Distal-less 3 (Dlx-3) homeobox gene.
abstract: We have cloned and sequenced a cDNA encoding the mammalian homologue of Distal-less 3 (Dlx-3) from a rat embryonic brain cDNA library. The primary structure of rat Dlx-3 showed a cDNA with an open reading frame of 290 amino acids with a molecular weight of 31 kDa harboring a homeodomain sequence characteristic of the Distal-less homoeobox gene. In addition to the highly conserved homeodomain sequence, we newly found the consensus motifs in the N-terminal and C-terminal region, which were specifically conserved among Distal-less members of different species. Phylogenetic analysis of the Distal-less homeodomain sequence also showed a possible association between the sequence similarities in the homeodomain and the spatial specifications of homeobox genes expressed in the developing central nervous system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Pathology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shirasawa
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sakamoto
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tkahashi
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D005075:Biological Evolution; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D005801:Genes, Homeobox; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D051381:Rats; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; C088334:Distal-less homeobox proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors