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Published on: December 9, 2014
Tbx6, a mouse T-Box gene implicated in paraxial mesoderm formation at gastrulation
D L Chapman1, I Agulnik, S Hancock
1Department of Genetics and Development, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, 701 West 168th Street, New York, New York, 10032, USA.
Developmental Biology
|December 15, 1996
Summary
T-box gene Tbx6 is crucial for mouse embryonic development, specifically in mesoderm formation. Its expression is restricted and dependent on Brachyury, another key developmental gene.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Genetics
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- T-box genes are conserved transcription factors involved in embryonic development.
- Brachyury (T) is essential for mesoderm formation and axial elongation.
- Six new mouse T-box genes, Tbx1-Tbx6, have been identified.
Purpose of the Study:
- To clone and characterize the Tbx6 gene.
- To determine the spatial and temporal expression patterns of Tbx6 during mouse embryogenesis.
- To investigate the relationship between Tbx6 and Brachyury expression.
Main Methods:
- Obtained full-length cDNA clones for Tbx6 from gastrulation-stage mouse libraries.
- Determined spatial and temporal distribution of Tbx6 transcripts via embryogenesis.
- Analyzed Tbx6 expression in Brachyury mutant embryos.
Main Results:
- Tbx6 encodes a 540-amino acid protein (59 kDa) with a 1.9-kb transcript.
- Tbx6 maps to chromosome 7, unlinked to known mutations.
- Tbx6 expression is restricted to primitive streak, paraxial mesoderm, and tail bud.
- Tbx6 expression is dependent on Brachyury, with expression extinguished in Brachyury mutants after 8.5 days postcoitus.
Conclusions:
- Tbx6 plays a specific role in mesoderm development.
- Tbx6 expression is tightly regulated and dependent on Brachyury.
- Tbx6 is a key component of the genetic network controlling early mouse embryogenesis.
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