title: Characterization and expression of a presomitic mesoderm-specific mespo gene in zebrafish.
abstract: A complete zebrafish mespo cDNA encoding a protein of 131 amino acids with a bHLH domain in the C-terminal has been isolated. The bHLH domain of zebrafish Mespo is highly similar to those in the mouse, chick and Xenopus, sharing 82.4%, 80.4% and 74.5% amino acid identity, respectively. At 50% epiboly, the zebrafish mespo is first detected in the marginal zone of the blastoderm but excluding the prospective shield. Subsequently, mespo expression is intensified in the involuting mesoderm at 60% epiboly, and then restricted to the presomitic mesoderm (PSM) at 95% epiboly. At the 1-somite stage, mespo expression becomes reduced in the most rostral PSM. During segmentation, mespo expression is gradually downregulated at the most rostral segmental plate where cells are being coalesced to form somites. In spadetail mutant embryos, most of mespo-expressing cells were missing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetic Engineering, Kyungpook National University, 702-701, Daegu, Korea.
authors.forename: Kyeong-Won
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Yoo
authors.forename: Cheol-Hee
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hae-Chul
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Seok-Hyung
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hyung-Seok
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sung-Kook
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Sangtae
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Myungchull
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rhee
authors.forename: Tae-Lin
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Huh
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian; D005121:Extremities / Q000196:embryology; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D018257:Helix-Loop-Helix Motifs; D008648:Mesoderm / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D020825:T-Box Domain Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D029867:Xenopus Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics*; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D020825:T-Box Domain Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors; D029867:Xenopus Proteins; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins; C534575:Msgn1 protein, Xenopus; C481359:msgn1 protein, zebrafish; C112539:tbx16 protein, zebrafish