title: Vsx1, a rapidly evolving paired-like homeobox gene expressed in cone bipolar cells.
abstract: The paired-like homeodomain (HD) protein Chx10 is distinguished by the presence of the CVC domain, a conserved 56 amino acid sequence C-terminal to the HD. In mammals, Chx10 is essential both for the proliferation of retinal progenitor cells and for the formation or survival of retinal bipolar interneurons. We describe the cloning and characterization of a mouse Chx10 homologue, Vsx1; phylogenetic analysis suggests that Vsx1 and its putative vertebrate orthologues have evolved rapidly. Vsx1 expression in the adult is predominantly retinal. Whereas Chx10 is expressed both in retinal progenitors in the developing eye and apparently in all bipolar cells of the mature retina, Vsx1 expression is first detected in the eye at postnatal day 5, where it is restricted to cone bipolar cells.
authors.affiliation: Program in Developmental Biology, The Research Institute, Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Ave., Toronto, Ontario M5G 1X8, Canada.
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Chow
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Snow
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Novak
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Looser
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Freund
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vidgen
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ploder
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: McInnes
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D005136:Eye Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics*; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D012160:Retina / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D017949:Retinal Cone Photoreceptor Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000196:embryology*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D005136:Eye Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014157:Transcription Factors; C491583:VSX1 protein, human; C490289:VSX2 protein, human; C491582:Vsx1 protein, mouse; C088975:Vsx2 protein, mouse