Distinct roles for Distal-less genes Dlx3 and Dlx5 in regulating ectodermal development in Xenopus.
In vertebrates, there are six or more copies of genes related to the Drosophila pattern formation homeodomain gene Distal-less. Among this family, Dlx3 and Dlx5 share extensive sequence homology and have similar, but distinctive, expression patterns, suggesting that these two factors may have substantially redundant developmental functions. Here we show that at the earliest phases of embryogenesis in Xenopus, there are significant differences between Dlx3 and Dlx5 expression and that this correlates with different functions in the restriction of neural crest and neural plate boundaries, respectively.
Luo
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Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, 6 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892-2790, USA.
Matsuo-Takasaki
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Sargent
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D000818:Animals; D004475:Ectoderm / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005775:Gastrula / Q000378:metabolism; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D005801:Genes, Homeobox; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008957:Models, Genetic; D009432:Neural Crest / Q000196:embryology; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics*; D029867:Xenopus Proteins; D014982:Xenopus laevis / Q000196:embryology* / Q000235:genetics*
C088334:Distal-less homeobox proteins; C501121:Dlx5 protein, Xenopus; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D029867:Xenopus Proteins