title: Xenopus paraxis homologue shows novel domains of expression.
abstract: The paraxis gene encodes a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor that is expressed in paraxial mesoderm and whose mutant displays an inability to form epithelial somites. Here, the molecular characterization of Xenopus paraxis is reported. paraxis is expressed in the paraxial mesoderm and somites but is down-regulated during muscle differentiation. In addition to its paraxial mesodermal expression, described in other organisms, two novel expression domains of paraxis were found: the neural tube and the head mesoderm. paraxis expression in the neural tube was compared with the expression of the neural markers Xash and Xiro1, and we concluded that paraxis is expressed in a broad band in the prospective sulcus limitans of the neural tube.
authors.affiliation: Millennium Nucleus in Developmental Biology, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Ronald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Carpio
authors.forename: Stella Maris
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Honoré
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Araya
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mayor
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D015415:Biomarkers; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004475:Ectoderm / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D020224:Expressed Sequence Tags; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D018257:Helix-Loop-Helix Motifs / Q000235:genetics*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008648:Mesoderm / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D008954:Models, Biological; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D010802:Phylogeny; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D019170:Somites / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D014981:Xenopus / Q000235:genetics*; D029867:Xenopus Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D015415:Biomarkers; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D029867:Xenopus Proteins; C484675:Xiro1 protein, Xenopus; C080088:ascl1 protein, Xenopus