Expression of the Distalless-B gene in Ciona is regulated by a pan-ectodermal enhancer module.

ABSTRACT: The Ci-Dll-B gene is an early regulator of ectodermal development in the ascidian Ciona intestinalis (Imai et al., 2006). Ci-Dll-B is located in a convergently transcribed bigene cluster with a tandem duplicate, Ci-Dll-A. This clustered genomic arrangement is the same as those of the homologous vertebrate Dlx genes, which are also arranged in convergently transcribed bigene clusters. Sequence analysis of the C. intestinalis Dll-A-B cluster reveals a 378bp region upstream of Ci-Dll-B, termed B1, which is highly conserved with the corresponding region from the congener Ciona savignyi. The B1 element is necessary and sufficient to drive expression of a lacZ reporter gene in a pattern mimicking the endogenous expression of Ci-Dll-B at gastrula stages. This expression pattern which is specific

SUBMITTER: Irvine SQ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3081900 | biostudies-literature | 2011 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature