Lack of the murine homeobox gene Hesx1 leads to a posterior transformation of the anterior forebrain.
The homeobox gene Hesx1 is an essential repressor that is required within the anterior neural plate for normal forebrain development in mouse and humans. Combining genetic cell labelling and marker analyses, we demonstrate that the absence of Hesx1 leads to a posterior transformation of the anterior forebrain (AFB) during mouse development. Our data suggest that the mechanism underlying this transformation is the ectopic activation of Wnt/beta-catenin signalling within the Hesx1 expression domain in the AFB. When ectopically expressed in the developing mouse embryo, Hesx1 alone cannot alter the normal fate of posterior neural tissue. However, conditional expression of Hesx1 within the AFB can rescue the forebrain defects observed in the Hesx1 mutants. The results presented here provide new insights into the function of Hesx1 in forebrain formation.
Andoniadou
Cynthia L
CL
Neural Development Unit, UCL-Institute of Child Health, 30 Guilford Street, WC1N 1EH, London, UK.
Signore
Massimo
M
Sajedi
Ezat
E
Gaston-Massuet
Carles
C
Kelberman
Daniel
D
Burns
Alan J
AJ
Itasaki
Nobue
N
Dattani
Mehul
M
Martinez-Barbera
Juan Pedro
JP
D000818:Animals; D060466:Axin Protein; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002460:Cell Line; D019070:Cell Lineage; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D005136:Eye Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D009154:Mutation; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016548:Prosencephalon / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D051155:Wnt1 Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D051176:beta Catenin / Q000378:metabolism; D000097607:Homeobox Protein SIX3
D060466:Axin Protein; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D005136:Eye Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D051155:Wnt1 Protein; D051176:beta Catenin; D000097607:Homeobox Protein SIX3; C111729:Axin2 protein, mouse; C489733:Hesx1 protein, mouse; C417217:Sp5 protein, mouse; C495246:Wnt1 protein, mouse