The homeodomain gene Xenopus Distal-less-like-2 (Xdll-2) is regulated by a conserved mechanism in amphibian and mammalian epidermis.
Xenopus Distal-less-like-2 (Xdll-2) is a gene encoding a homeodomain protein expressed predominantly in the epidermis of frog embryos. We report here that this epidermal expression is specified by a regulatory 5' flanking DNA region located within 933 bp of the start of transcription. This regulatory DNA also confers upon a globin reporter gene calcium-inducible expression in cultured murine keratinocytes and induction-dependent repression in frog ectodermal cells treated in vitro with activin A. These results reveal a new example of phylogenetically conserved, tissue-specific transcriptional regulation of a homeodomain gene.
Morasso
M I
MI
Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892.
Jamrich
M
M
Sargent
T D
TD
D028341:Activins; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004247:DNA; D004475:Ectoderm / Q000378:metabolism; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000378:metabolism; D004817:Epidermis / Q000196:embryology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D005801:Genes, Homeobox; D006801:Humans; D007265:Inhibins / Q000494:pharmacology; D015603:Keratinocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008845:Microinjections; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012045:Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014981:Xenopus
D028341:Activins; D007265:Inhibins; D004247:DNA