The evolutionary origin of the Runx/CBFbeta transcription factors--studies of the most basal metazoans.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Members of the Runx family of transcriptional regulators, which bind DNA as heterodimers with CBFbeta, are known to play critical roles in embryonic development in many triploblastic animals such as mammals and insects. They are known to regulate basic developmental processes such as cell fate determination and cellular potency in multiple stem-cell types, including the sensory nerve cell progenitors of ganglia in mammals.

Results

In this study, we detect and characterize the hitherto unexplored Runx/CBFbeta genes of cnidarians and sponges, two basal animal lineages that are well known for their extensive regenerative capacity. Comparative structural modeling indicates that the Runx-CBFbeta-DNA complex from most cnidarians and sponges is highly similar to that fou

SUBMITTER: Sullivan JC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2527000 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature