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Hole is a novel gene product expressed in the developing heart and brain
1Stahlman Cardiovascular Laboratories, Program for Developmental Biology and The Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Vanderbilt University, 2220 Pierce Avenue, MRBII 338, Nashville, TN 37232, USA. anna.nesset@mcmail.vanderbilt.edu
Insights
A novel six-transmembrane protein, Hole, is identified in developing chick hearts and neural tissues. While expressed in chick cardiac development, mouse Hole shows only neural expression, suggesting species-specific roles.
Area of Science:
- Developmental biology
- Molecular genetics
- Cardiovascular research
Background:
- The genetic underpinnings of heart development are complex and involve numerous gene products.
- Understanding novel gene functions is crucial for elucidating developmental pathways.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and characterize novel genes involved in early heart development.
- To investigate the expression patterns and potential roles of the newly discovered Hole gene in chick and mouse embryos.
Main Methods:
- Subtractive hybridization was employed to identify novel genes from chick heart tissue.
- Whole-mount in situ hybridization was used to determine the spatial and temporal expression patterns of the Hole gene in chick and mouse embryos.
Main Results:
- A novel gene, Hole, encoding a six-transmembrane protein, was isolated from developing chick hearts.
- Hole expression was detected in the cardiac crescent and myocardium during chick heart development.
- Neural expression of Hole was observed in both chick and mouse embryos, but cardiac expression was specific to the chick.
Conclusions:
- The Hole gene product is a novel cardiac-expressed protein in developing chicks.
- Species-specific expression patterns suggest divergent roles for Hole in cardiac versus neural development between chick and mouse.
Abstract:
Hole is a novel gene product isolated from a chick heart subtractive hybridization. Hole is a six-transmembrane protein (predicted size 311 and 317 amino acids in chick and mouse) expressed in the cardiac crescent and later in the myocardium of the developing chick heart, as well as in the fusing neural tube and ganglia. Mouse hole is not expressed in the developing heart, although it does share neural expression seen in the chick.