Expression analysis of a Notch homologue in the mouse embryo

The Drosophila Notch gene has been shown to be involved in the determination of fate in a number of different cell types. Similarly, Notch homologues in Caenorhabditis elegans are involved in cell decision-making steps. It is of interest to determine if a mammalian Notch homologue plays a role in cell fate determination. We have isolated cDNA from a mouse Notch gene using low-stringency hybridization with probes derived from the Xenopus Notch gene. Sequence analysis reveals that this gene possesses EGF repeats, Notch/lin-12 repeats, and CDC-10/SWI-6 repeats, characteristic of other Notch homologues. Northern analysis revealed that the transcript size was roughly 10 kb as has been found for the other Notch genes. We have studied the expression pattern of the gene by both conventional and whole mount in situ hybridization. Expression patterns were consistent with mouse Notch having a determinative role in the formation of mesoderm, somites, and the nervous system.