title: cDermo-1 expression indicates a role in avian skin development.
abstract: Basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors have been shown to be important regulatory proteins for tissue determination and differentiation. We cloned the chicken homologue of the gene of the murine Twist-related bHLH protein Dermo-1, which we named cDermo-1, and analyzed its sequence and embryonic expression. Our sequence data suggest a decisive role of Dermo-1 proteins in the evolution of amniote skin. We present a detailed analysis of cDermo-1 expression during avian embryonic development. cDermo-1 is first expressed in a variety of mesodermal tissues of the chick embryo including the limb buds, but later becomes restricted to the subectodermal mesenchyme of the integument and the developing feather buds, indicating a role of cDermo-1 during avian skin and feather development.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Anatomy, University of Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Scaal
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Füchtbauer
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Brand-Saberi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D002642:Chick Embryo; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D012867:Skin / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors