Cloning and expression of the TALE superclass homeobox Meis2 gene during zebrafish embryonic development

Meis and Prep/Pknox (MEINOX family) proteins, together with Pbx (PBC family) proteins, belong to the TALE superfamily characterized by an atypical homeodomain containing three additional amino acids between helix 1 and helix 2. Members of the MEINOX and PBC families have been isolated in Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila, Xenopus, chick, mouse and human, and play crucial roles in many aspects of embryogenesis. Here, we report the isolation of meis2 in zebrafish. Expression of meis2 is first detected at the beginning of gastrulation. Later during embryogenesis, meis2 transcripts are found in distinct domains of the central nervous system with the strongest expression in the hindbrain. Expression was also detected in the isthmus, along the spinal cord and in the lateral mesoderm. As development proceeds, meis2 is also expressed in the developing retina, pharyngeal arches, and in the vicinity of the gut tube.