title: Expression pattern of a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor Xhairy2b during Xenopus laevis development.
abstract: We report on the temporal and spatial expression pattern of the Xenopus laevis hairy2b ( Xhairy2b) transcription factor. Xhairy2b transcripts are present maternally, and expressed throughout the prospective ectoderm prior to the gastrula stage. During gastrulation, Xhairy2b expression is restricted to the deep layer of the Spemann organizer and three distinct regions in the prospective neuroectoderm, neural plate border, notoplate and anterior neural plate. At later stages, Xhairy2b expression is localized to prechordal plate, presomitic mesoderm, neural tube, neural crest derivatives and several tissue territories of the central nervous system. The analyses of Xhairy2b and several other hairy-related genes suggest potential roles for Xhairy2b in the formation of boundaries in neural tissue territories.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Machikaneyama, Toyonaka, 560-0043 Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Saori
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tsuji
authors.forename: Ken W Y
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Chikara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D019521:Body Patterning; D004475:Ectoderm / Q000378:metabolism; D005775:Gastrula / Q000378:metabolism; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D029867:Xenopus Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014982:Xenopus laevis / Q000196:embryology*
chemical_list: D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D029867:Xenopus Proteins; C439928:HES4 protein, Xenopus