Cloning and expression of medaka Dachshund

The nuclear factor dachshund (dac) is a regulator of retinal cell fate determination in Drosophila. We have cloned a Dachshund homologue of a lower vertebrate, the teleost medaka (Oryzias latipes). Sequence comparison reveals high similarity of medaka Dachshund (OlDach) to the known homologues in higher vertebrates and Drosophila. OlDach is first expressed at early somitogenesis stages in the otic placode territory and forming somites. Subsequently, expression is detected in the retina, specific regions of the central nervous system, pancreas and the finbuds.