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Regulation of Tbx6 expression by Notch signaling
Author(s) -
White Phillip H.,
Farkas Deborah R.,
Chapman Deborah L.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
genesis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.093
H-Index - 110
eISSN - 1526-968X
pISSN - 1526-954X
DOI - 10.1002/gene.20124
Subject(s) - notch signaling pathway , microbiology and biotechnology , expression (computer science) , hes3 signaling axis , biology , signal transduction , computer science , programming language
Abstract Somites are the first overt sign of segmentation in the vertebrate embryo and form from bilateral strips of paraxial mesoderm. Paraxial mesoderm arises from the primitive streak; it then migrates laterally and comes to lie on both sides of the neural tube. In the mouse, the T‐box transcription factor Tbx6 is required for both somite formation and patterning. Tbx6 expression corresponds both temporally and spatially to somite formation, with expression in the primitive streak and presomitic mesoderm. Its expression in the latter could simply be explained by maintenance following its initial activation in the primitive streak. Alternatively, its expression in the presomitic mesoderm may be contributed by separate regulatory elements possibly under the control of different signals. We have begun to investigate how Tbx6 expression is controlled during development using a transgenic approach to identify the cis‐acting regulatory regions. We show that it is possible to separate an element required for presomitic mesoderm expression from that driving expression in the primitive streak. Further, we show that a binding site for the Notch transcription factor RBP‐Jκ is necessary for Tbx6 presomitic mesoderm enhancer activity, indicating that Notch signaling is upstream of Tbx6 in the pathway directing somite formation and patterning. genesis 42:61–70, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.