A specific box switches the cell fate determining activity of XOTX2 and XOTX5b in the Xenopus retina.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Otx genes, orthologues of the Drosophila orthodenticle gene (otd), play crucial roles in vertebrate brain development. In the Xenopus eye, Xotx2 and Xotx5b promote bipolar and photoreceptor cell fates, respectively. The molecular basis of their differential action is not completely understood, though the carboxyl termini of the two proteins seem to be crucial. To define the molecular domains that make the action of these proteins so different, and to determine whether their retinal abilities are shared by Drosophila OTD, we performed an in vivo molecular dissection of their activity by transfecting retinal progenitors with several wild-type, deletion and chimeric constructs of Xotx2, Xotx5b and otd.

Results

We identified a small 8-10 amino acid divergent region, d

SUBMITTER: Onorati M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1929070 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature