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Updated: Jun 6, 2026
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Real-time Bioluminescence Imaging of Notch Signaling Dynamics during Murine Neurogenesis
Published on: December 12, 2019
HES6-1 and HES6-2 function through different mechanisms during neuronal differentiation.
Filipe Vilas-Boas1, Domingos Henrique
1Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal.
Plos One
|December 15, 2010
Summary
Two Hes6 proteins in chick embryos play distinct roles in neurogenesis. cHES6-2 represses gene transcription, while cHES6-1 sequesters other proteins, both promoting neuronal differentiation.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Neuroscience
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Notch signaling is crucial for vertebrate nervous system development, primarily through Hes gene transcriptional repressors.
- Hes6 genes, unlike other Hes genes, are expressed in differentiating neurons and promote neurogenesis.
- The precise molecular mechanisms of Hes6 gene function in neurogenesis remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the function and regulation of Hes6 genes in vertebrate development.
- To characterize a novel chicken Hes6 gene, cHes6-1, and its role in neurogenesis and other developmental processes.
- To elucidate the distinct molecular mechanisms employed by different Hes6 proteins.
Main Methods:
- Identification and characterization of conserved Hes6 gene subgroups in vertebrates.
- Analysis of embryonic expression patterns of cHes6-1 in chicken embryos.
- Functional studies using ectopic expression in chick embryonic neural tubes.
- Investigation of protein-protein interactions and transcriptional activity.
Main Results:
- Two conserved subgroups of Hes6 genes were identified, with cHes6-1 characterized in chicken.
- cHes6-1 exhibits expression in the pancreas, nervous system, and lateral mesoderm, and is regulated by Notch signaling.
- cHES6-1 up-regulates cDelta1 and cHes5, while cHES6-2 represses them; cHES6-2 acts as a transcriptional repressor, whereas cHES6-1 functions by sequestering HES proteins.
Conclusions:
- Two chick HES6 proteins, cHES6-1 and cHES6-2, operate at distinct stages of neuronal differentiation.
- cHES6-2 represses Hes gene transcription, and cHES6-1 sequesters HES proteins, facilitating neurogenesis progression.
- These proteins collectively downregulate the Notch-mediated progenitor program, enabling neuronal differentiation.
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