Xenopus Dbx2 is involved in primary neurogenesis and early neural plate patterning

• Published in: Biochemical and biophysical research communications Vol. 412; no. 1; pp. 170 - 174
• Main Authors: Ma, Pengcheng, Zhao, Shuhua, Zeng, Wanli, Yang, Qiutan, Li, Chaocui, Lv, Xiaoyan, Zhou, Qin, Mao, Bingyu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 19.08.2011
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Body Patterning; Central nervous system; Dbx1; Dbx2; Evolution; Homeodomain Proteins - classification; Homeodomain Proteins - genetics; Homeodomain Proteins - metabolism; Molecular Sequence Data; Neural plate; Neural Plate - embryology; Neural Plate - metabolism; Neural plate patterning; Neural tube; Neurogenesis; Pattern formation; Phylogeny; Repressor Proteins - classification; Repressor Proteins - genetics; Repressor Proteins - metabolism; Xenopus; Xenopus laevis - embryology; Xenopus laevis - genetics; Xenopus laevis - metabolism; Xenopus Proteins - classification; Xenopus Proteins - genetics; Xenopus Proteins - metabolism; Xenopus; Dbx2; Neural plate patterning; Neurogenesis; Dbx1
• DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2011.07.068
• ISSN: 0006-291X

► Xenopus Dbx2 is expressed in two stripes in the intermediate neural plate. ► XDbx2 acts as a transcriptional repressor and is involved in primary neurogenesis. ► XDbx2 repress the expression of XNkx6 to pattern the ventral neural tube. The evolutionarily conserved Dbx homeodomain-containing proteins play important roles in the development of vertebrate central nervous system. In mouse, Dbx and Nkx6 have been suggested to be cross-repressive partners involved in the patterning of ventral neural tube. Here, we have isolated Xenopus Dbx2 and studied its developmental expression and function during neural development. Like XDbx1, from mid-neurula stage on, XDbx2 is expressed in stripes between the primary motoneurons and interneurons. At the tailbud stages, it is detected in the middle region of the neural tube. XDbx2 acts as a transcriptional repressor in vitro and over-expression of XDbx2 inhibits primary neurogenesis in Xenopus embryos. Over-expression of XDbx genes represses the expression of XNkx6.2 and vise versa. Knockdown of either XDbx1, XDbx2 or both by specific morpholinos induces lateral expansion of XNkx6.2 expression domains . These data reveal conserved roles for Dbx in primary neurogenesis and dorsoventral neural patterning in Xenopus.