The Notch target E(spl)mδ is a muscle-specific gene involved in methylmercury toxicity in motor neuron development.

ABSTRACT: Methylmercury (MeHg) is a ubiquitous environmental toxin that has a selective and potent impact on the nervous system, particularly during neural development yet, the mechanisms for its apparent neurodevelopmental specificity are unknown. The Notch receptor pathway has been implicated as a MeHg target in several studies. Notch signaling mediates cell-cell signals in a number of developmental contexts including neurogenesis and myogenesis, where it fundamentally acts to repress differentiation. Previous work in our lab has shown that MeHg causes preferential upregulation of a canonical Notch response gene, E(spl)mδ, in Drosophila embryos. In parallel, MeHg is seen to disrupt outgrowth of embryonic intersegmental motor nerves (ISN), which can be mimicked by expression of activated Notch in e

SUBMITTER: Engel GL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4043954 | biostudies-literature | 2014 May-Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature