Neurogenin2 expression in ventral and dorsal spinal neural tube progenitor cells is regulated by distinct enhancers.
The basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor Neurogenin2 (NGN2) is expressed in distinct populations   of neural progenitor cells within the developing central and peripheral nervous systems. Transgenic   mice containing ngn2/lacZ reporter constructs were used to study the regulation of ngn2 in the   developing spinal cord. ngn2/lacZ transgenic embryos containing sequence found 5' or 3' to the ngn2   coding region express lacZ in domains that reflect the spatial and temporal expression profile of   endogenous ngn2. A 4.4-kb fragment 5' of ngn2 was sufficient to drive lacZ expression in the ventral   neural tube, whereas a 1.0-kb fragment located 3' of ngn2 directed expression to both dorsal and   ventral domains. Persistent -gal activity revealed that the NGN2 progenitor cells in the dorsal domain   give rise to a subset of interneurons that send their axons to the floor plate, and the NGN2 progenitors   in the ventral domain give rise to a subset of motor neurons. We identified a discrete element that is   required for the activity of the ngn2 enhancer specifically in the ventral neural tube. Thus, separable   regulatory elements that direct ngn2 expression to distinct neural progenitor populations have been   defined.
Simmons
A D
AD
Center for Basic Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern   Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390-9111, USA.
Horton
S
S
Abney
A L
AL
Johnson
J E
JE
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D002645:Chickens; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development / Q000502:physiology*; D004742:Enhancer Elements, Genetic; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D018257:Helix-Loop-Helix Motifs; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D018598:Minisatellite Repeats; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D013045:Species Specificity; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000196:embryology*; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics
D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; C105389:NEUROG1 protein, human; C491183:NEUROG2 protein, human; C102938:Neurog2 protein, mouse; C486336:Neurog1 protein, mouse