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Paraxis: a basic helix-loop-helix protein expressed in paraxial mesoderm and developing somites

R Burgess1, P Cserjesi, K L Ligon

  • 1Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston 77030, USA.

Developmental Biology
|April 1, 1995
PubMed
Summary

Two novel basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) proteins, paraxis and scleraxis, are crucial for vertebrate embryogenesis. Their sequential expression in paraxial mesoderm and somites suggests a role in patterning and cell lineage establishment.

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Area of Science:

  • Developmental Biology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Vertebrate embryogenesis involves paraxial mesoderm forming somites, which differentiate into sclerotome, myotome, and dermatome.
  • Scleraxis, a basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) protein, is known to be expressed in sclerotome and connective tissues.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To clone and characterize a novel bHLH protein, paraxis, and investigate its role in early embryogenesis.
  • To understand the relationship between paraxis and scleraxis in somite development and cell lineage specification.

Main Methods:

  • Cloning of the paraxis gene.
  • Analysis of paraxis gene expression patterns during mouse embryogenesis using transcript detection.
  • Comparison of paraxis and scleraxis expression profiles in developing somites.

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Main Results:

  • Paraxis, a novel bHLH protein nearly identical to scleraxis in the bHLH domain, was cloned.
  • Paraxis transcripts are detected in primitive mesoderm and paraxial mesoderm preceding somite formation.
  • Paraxis is highly expressed in newly formed somites before myogenic bHLH genes and downregulated in the myotome during compartmentalization. It is coexpressed with scleraxis in the sclerotome, with paraxis declining as scleraxis expression increases.

Conclusions:

  • Paraxis and scleraxis exhibit sequential and overlapping expression patterns during somite development.
  • These bHLH proteins likely function in a regulatory pathway for paraxial mesoderm patterning and somitic cell lineage establishment.