Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Senseless acts as a binary switch during sensory organ precursor selection.

Hamed Jafar-Nejad1, Melih Acar, Riitta Nolo

  • 1Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.

Genes & Development
|December 11, 2003
PubMed
Summary

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Uncovering Phenotypic Expansion in AXIN2-Related Disorders through Precision Animal Modeling.

Genetics in medicine : official journal of the American College of Medical Genetics·2026
Same author

TUSC3 serves as a rate-limiting gatekeeper of a glycan-mediated ER triage checkpoint for BMP4/Dpp.

Cell reports·2026
Same author

NECAP antagonizes light-induced Rhodopsin-1 internalization to promote photoreceptor homeostasis.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

The LDL pathway regulates actomyosin ring dynamics necessary for optimal cell wound repair.

microPublication biology·2026
Same author

Two lysosomal genes ATP13A2 and GBA1 interact to drive neurodegeneration.

Molecular neurodegeneration·2026
Same author

Rare heterozygous de novo variants in RAPGEF2 are associated with a neurodevelopmental disorder.

Genetics in medicine : official journal of the American College of Medical Genetics·2026

Senseless (Sens) protein acts as a binary switch for selecting sensory organ precursors (SOPs). It represses proneural genes at low levels and activates them at high levels, ensuring proper cell fate.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental biology
  • Cellular and molecular biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Sensory organ precursor (SOP) selection is a critical step in development.
  • This process involves isolating a single cell from a cluster of cells.
  • The precise molecular mechanisms governing this selection are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of the zinc-finger transcription factor Senseless (Sens) in SOP specification.
  • To elucidate how Sens expression levels influence proneural gene activity during SOP selection.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of Sens expression patterns in developing tissues.
  • Investigating the transcriptional regulatory functions of Sens.
  • Studying the interaction between Sens and proneural proteins.
Keywords:
NASA Discipline Developmental BiologyNASA Program Fundamental Space BiologyNon-NASA Center

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Senseless is activated by proneural proteins in presumptive SOPs and surrounding cells.
  • Low Sens levels lead to DNA-binding-dependent repression of proneural genes.
  • High Sens levels in presumptive SOPs result in transcriptional activation and synergy with proneural proteins.

Conclusions:

  • Senseless functions as a binary switch in SOP selection.
  • Differential expression of Sens is crucial for distinguishing the SOP from its neighbors.
  • This mechanism ensures the correct specification of sensory organ precursors.