Expression pattern for unc5b, an axon guidance gene in embryonic zebrafish development.
Branching processes such as nerves and vessels share molecular mechanisms of path determination. Our study focuses on unc5b, a member of the unc5 axon guidance gene family. Here, we have cloned the full-length zebrafish ortholog of unc5b, mapped its chromosome location in the zebrafish genome, and compared its expression patterns to robo4, another axon guidance family member. In situ show that unc5b is expressed predominantly in sensory structures such as the eye, ear, and brain. Both unc5b and robo4 show robust expression in all three compartments of the embryonic brain, namely forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain. In particular, the hindbrain rhombomere expression displays interesting patterns in that robo4 is expressed in medial rhombomere cell clusters when compared to unc5b expressed in lateral rhombomere clusters. A similar medial-lateral theme is observed in other neural structures such as the neural tube. Our expression analysis provides a starting point for studying the role of axon guidance genes in embryonic hindbrain patterning.
Kaur
Sukhbir
S
Genome Technology Branch, NHGRI, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Abu-Asab
Mones S
MS
Abu-Abab
Mones S
MS
Singla
Shobhit
S
Yeo
Sang-Yeob
SY
Ramchandran
Ramani
R
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000502:physiology*; D019521:Body Patterning / Q000235:genetics; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian; D047108:Embryonic Development / Q000235:genetics*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D012249:Rhombencephalon / Q000196:embryology; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics*; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D000097905:Roundabout Proteins
D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins; C502398:ROBO4 protein, zebrafish; D000097905:Roundabout Proteins; C523095:unc5b protein, zebrafish
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