Doing the MATH: is the mouse a good model for fly development?

• Published in: Genes & development Vol. 14; no. 15; pp. 1852 - 1865
• Main Authors: Hassan, B. A., Bellen, H. J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Legacy CDMS 01.08.2000
• Subjects: Animals; Arabidopsis Proteins; Atonal-related proteins; Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors; DNA-Binding Proteins - genetics; DNA-Binding Proteins - metabolism; Drosophila; Drosophila - genetics; Drosophila - growth & development; Drosophila Proteins; Evolution, Molecular; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; Helix-Loop-Helix Motifs; Helix-loop-helix proteins (basic); Homeodomain Proteins - genetics; Homeodomain Proteins - metabolism; Life Sciences (General); Mice; Nerve Tissue Proteins - genetics; Nerve Tissue Proteins - metabolism; neurogenesis; Neurons - physiology; Phylogeny; Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; Space life sciences; Transcription Factors - genetics; Transcription Factors - metabolism; Xenopus Proteins; Non-Nasa Center; Review; Review, Tutorial; Nasa Discipline Developmental Biology; NASA Discipline Developmental Biology; Non-NASA Center
• ISSN: 0890-9369; 1549-5477
• DOI: 10.1101/GAD.14.15.1852

Members of the superfamily of basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) proteins have been shown to play important roles in neurogenesis in many species. Neuronal bHLH proteins can be divided into two families: the Achaete-Scute complex (AS-C) related proteins and the Atonal-related proteins, or ARPs. In this review we discuss the ARPs, focusing on their functional diversity within each organism and contrasting it with the remarkable conservation of some of the functions across species. In reviewing the current data, three themes emerge. First, the sequence of the basic domain is sufficient to delineate the different groups of ARPs. Second, the structural similarities among the three groups of ARPs, namely the Neurogenin group, the NeuroD group, and the ATO group, appear to reflect functional similarities. Finally, the dual functions of Drosophila proneural ARPs in precursor selection and lineage identity specification may have been uncoupled in vertebrates.