title: FLASH, a component of the FAS-CAPSASE8 apoptotic pathway, is directly regulated by Hoxb4 in the notochord.
abstract: The Hox genes are a family of homeodomain-containing transcription factors that confer positional identity during development. Although their regulation and function have been extensively studied, very little is known of their downstream target genes. Here we show that Hoxb4 directly induces the expression of FLASH in the notochord of embryos after neurulation. FLASH is a component of the FAS-CAPSASE8 apoptotic pathway, and blocking its activity, or that of Hoxb4, prevents apoptosis in the notochord.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, St. George's Hospital Medical School, Cranmer Terrace, London SW17 0RE, UK. rmorgan@sghms.ac.uk
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Morgan
authors.forename: Alison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nalliah
authors.forename: Ali S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Morsi El-Kadi
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D016375:Antisense Elements (Genetics); D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology*; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D017931:DNA Primers; D004587:Electrophoresis, Agar Gel; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009672:Notochord / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000196:embryology*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000502:physiology*; D014982:Xenopus laevis
chemical_list: D016375:Antisense Elements (Genetics); D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D017931:DNA Primers; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors