title: The Mohawk homeobox gene is a critical regulator of tendon differentiation.
abstract: Mohawk (Mkx) is a member of the Three Amino acid Loop Extension superclass of atypical homeobox genes that is expressed in developing tendons. To investigate the in vivo functions of Mkx, we generated Mkx(-/-) mice. These mice had hypoplastic tendons throughout the body. Despite the reduction in tendon mass, the cell number in tail tendon fiber bundles was similar between wild-type and Mkx(-/-) mice. We also observed small collagen fibril diameters and a down-regulation of type I collagen in Mkx(-/-) tendons. These data indicate that Mkx plays a critical role in tendon differentiation by regulating type I collagen production in tendon cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Systems BioMedicine, National Research Institute for Child Health and Development, Tokyo 157-8535, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshiaki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Naoya
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Toriuchi
authors.forename: Teruhito
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yoshitaka
authors.forename: Hiroe
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ueno-Kudoh
authors.forename: Tempei
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Shigetoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yokoyama
authors.forename: Keiichiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nishida
authors.forename: Takayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Akimoto
authors.forename: Michiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Shigeru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Miyaki
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Asahara
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D024042:Collagen Type I / Q000096:biosynthesis; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D013710:Tendons / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*; D013718:Tensile Strength
chemical_list: D024042:Collagen Type I; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; C510657:mohawk protein, mouse