title: Tbx2a is required for specification of endodermal pouches during development of the pharyngeal arches.
abstract: Tbx2 is a member of the T-box family of transcription factors essential for embryo- and organogenesis. A deficiency in the zebrafish paralogue tbx2a causes abnormalities of the pharyngeal arches in a p53-independent manner. The pharyngeal arches are formed by derivatives of all three embryonic germ layers: endodermal pouches, mesenchymal condensations and neural crest cells. While tbx2a expression is restricted to the endodermal pouches, its function is required for the normal morphogenesis of the entire pharyngeal arches. Given the similar function of Tbx1 in craniofacial development, we explored the possibility of an interaction between Tbx1 and Tbx2a. The use of bimolecular fluorescence complementation revealed the interaction between Tbx2a and Tbx1, thus providing support for the idea that functional interaction between different, co-expressed Tbx proteins could be a common theme across developmental processes in cell lineages and tissues. Together, this work provides mechanistic insight into the role of TBX2 in human disorders affecting the face and neck.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Singapore, Singapore ; Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore ; Department of Surgery, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
authors.forename: Hang Nguyen
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: Thi Thu
authors.forename: Steven Fong
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Haw Tien
authors.forename: Siau Lin
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Loh
authors.forename: Jimmy So
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Bok Yan
authors.forename: Vladimir
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Korzh
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019521:Body Patterning; D001934:Branchial Region / Q000196:embryology*; D004707:Endoderm / Q000196:embryology*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D057809:HEK293 Cells; D006801:Humans; D008648:Mesoderm / Q000196:embryology; D020825:T-Box Domain Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000196:embryology; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D020825:T-Box Domain Proteins; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins; C491461:tbx2a protein, zebrafish