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The homeotic protein dlk is expressed during peripheral nerve development
Author(s) -
Costaglioli Patricia,
Côme Christophe,
Knoll-Gellida Anja,
Salles Jérôme,
Cassagne Claude,
Garbay Bertrand
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/s0014-5793(01)03205-7
Subject(s) - homeotic gene , phenotype , biology , schwann cell , peripheral nervous system , myelin , microbiology and biotechnology , mutant , gene expression , gene , complementary dna , peripheral myelin protein 22 , neuroscience , genetics , central nervous system
To investigate the molecular events controlling myelination of the peripheral nervous system, we compared gene expression of normal mouse sciatic nerves to that of the trembler mouse, whose Schwann cells are blocked in a pre‐myelinating phenotype. Using cDNA array, we assessed expression levels of 1176 genes, and we found that delta‐like protein (dlk), an epidermal growth factor‐like homeotic protein, was expressed in the normal developing nerves, but at a low level in the dysmyelinating mutant trembler. Moreover, dlk expression was down‐regulated when myelin protein expression was up‐regulated, and no expression was observed in the developing brain. These results suggest that dlk expression is required for Schwann cell acquisition of the myelinating phenotype.