XATH-1, a vertebrate homolog of Drosophila atonal, induces neuronal differentiation within ectodermal progenitors

• Published in: Developmental biology Vol. 187; no. 1; pp. 1 - 12
• Main Authors: Kim, P, Helms, A.W, Johnson, J.E, Zimmerman, K
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01-07-1997
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; animal breeding; animal genetics; animal physiology; Animals; arthropods; Base Sequence; Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors; Cell Differentiation; Cloning, Molecular; DNA-Binding Proteins - biosynthesis; DNA-Binding Proteins - chemistry; Drosophila; Drosophila Proteins; Ectoderm - cytology; Ectoderm - physiology; Embryo, Nonmammalian - cytology; Embryo, Nonmammalian - physiology; entomology; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; Helix-Loop-Helix Motifs; Mammals; Molecular Sequence Data; Nerve Tissue Proteins - chemistry; Neurons - cytology; Neurons - physiology; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Rhombencephalon - embryology; Rhombencephalon - physiology; Sequence Alignment; Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; Stem Cells - cytology; Stem Cells - physiology; Transcription Factors - biosynthesis; Transcription Factors - chemistry; Xenopus; Xenopus Proteins
• ISSN: 0012-1606; 1095-564X
• DOI: 10.1006/dbio.1997.8572

XATH-1, a basic/helix-loop-helix transcription factor and a homolog of Drosophila atonal and mammalian MATH-1, is expressed specifically in the dorsal hindbrain during Xenopus neural development. In order to investigate the role of XATH-1 in the neuronal differentiation process, we have examined the effects of XATH-1 overexpression during Xenopus development. XATH-1 induces the expression of neuronal differentiation markers, such as N-tubulin, within the neural plate as well as within nonneural ectodermal progenitor populations, resulting in the appearance of process-bearing neurons within the epidermis. The related basic/helix-loop-helix genes neurogenin-related-1 and neuroD are not induced in response to XATH-1 overexpression within the embryo, suggesting that XATH-1 may activate an alternate pathway of neuronal differentiation. In further contrast to neurogenin-related-1 and neuroD, high-level expression of general neural markers expressed earlier in development, such as N-CAM, is not induced by XATH-1 overexpression. Competent ectodermal progenitors therefore respond to ectopic XATH-1 expression by initiating a distinct program of neuronal differentiation.