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Brain 4: a novel mammalian POU domain transcription factor exhibiting restricted brain‐specific expression.
Author(s) -
Mathis J.M.,
Simmons D.M.,
He X.,
Swanson L.W.,
Rosenfeld M.G.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
the embo journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 7.484
H-Index - 392
eISSN - 1460-2075
pISSN - 0261-4189
DOI - 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1992.tb05320.x
Subject(s) - pou domain , biology , promoter , gene , complementary dna , genetics , transcription factor , forebrain , gene expression , homeobox , neuroscience , central nervous system
The POU domain gene family of transcription factors share a conserved bipartite DNA binding domain, and exhibit distinct temporal and spatial patterns of expression during development, particularly in the forebrain. A cDNA encoding a new member of the POU‐III class of the POU domain gene family, referred to as Brn‐4, was isolated from a rat hypothalamic cDNA library. Like other mammalian POU‐III genes previously characterized (Brn‐1, Brn‐2, Tst‐1), Brn‐4 transcripts are initially widely expressed at all levels of the developing neural tube, but in contrast to other previously described POU‐III genes, are subsequently restricted to only a few regions of the adult forebrain, including the supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei of the hypothalamus. Brn‐4 was shown to bind to DNA sequences containing the octamer motif and to trans‐activate promoters containing this DNA binding motif, based on the actions of a unique N‐terminal information. This ontogenic pattern of Brn‐4 expression in concert with that of Oct‐2 and Pit‐1, indicates that certain POU domain genes potentially exert their primary functions widely during early neural development, and in a very limited set of neurons in the mature brain.