Characterization and regulation of the hb9/mnx1 beta-cell progenitor specific enhancer in zebrafish.

ABSTRACT: Differentiation of insulin producing beta-cells is a genetically well defined process that involves functions of various conserved transcription factors. Still, the transcriptional mechanisms underlying specification and determination of beta-cell fate are poorly defined. Here we provide the description of a beta-cell progenitor specific enhancer as a model to study initial steps of beta-cell differentiation. We show that evolutionary non-conserved upstream sequences of the zebrafish hb9 gene are required and sufficient for regulating expression in beta-cells prior to the onset of insulin expression. This enhancer contains binding sites for paired-box transcription factors and two E-boxes that in EMSA studies show interaction with Pax6b and NeuroD, respectively. We show that Pax6b is a pot

SUBMITTER: Arkhipova V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3327876 | biostudies-literature | 2012 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature