TY - JOUR
T1 - Functional interaction of vega2 and goosecoid homeobox genes in Zebrafish
AU - Kawahara, Atsuo
AU - Wilm, Thomas
AU - Solnica-Krezel, Lilianna
AU - Dawid, Igor B.
PY - 2000
Y1 - 2000
N2 - The gastrula organizer forms in the dorsal region of the zebrafish embryo, where the bozozok/dharma homeobox gene down-regulates expression of the vega 1 transcriptional repressor. Here, we describe a novel Vega family homeobox gene, vega2. Expression of vega2 is initiated at the ventral blastoderm margin during blastula stages, and by gastrulation becomes complementary to but partially overlapping with the dorsal expression domain of the homeobox gene goosecoid (gsc). This dorsal exclusion of vega2 expression is not observed in bozozok mutants in which organizer formation is impaired. Both vega2 and vega 1 can physically interact with Gsc. Zebrafish embryos injected with vega2 mRNA failed to express gsc and developed a headless phenotype. Conversely, a putative dominant negative form of vega2, VP16-vega2, elicited the expansion of gsc expression and a dorsalized phenotype. We suggest that vega2, in cooperation with vega 1, functions as a negative regulator of organizer genes including gsc, and participates in the refinement of the gastrula organizer domain.
AB - The gastrula organizer forms in the dorsal region of the zebrafish embryo, where the bozozok/dharma homeobox gene down-regulates expression of the vega 1 transcriptional repressor. Here, we describe a novel Vega family homeobox gene, vega2. Expression of vega2 is initiated at the ventral blastoderm margin during blastula stages, and by gastrulation becomes complementary to but partially overlapping with the dorsal expression domain of the homeobox gene goosecoid (gsc). This dorsal exclusion of vega2 expression is not observed in bozozok mutants in which organizer formation is impaired. Both vega2 and vega 1 can physically interact with Gsc. Zebrafish embryos injected with vega2 mRNA failed to express gsc and developed a headless phenotype. Conversely, a putative dominant negative form of vega2, VP16-vega2, elicited the expansion of gsc expression and a dorsalized phenotype. We suggest that vega2, in cooperation with vega 1, functions as a negative regulator of organizer genes including gsc, and participates in the refinement of the gastrula organizer domain.
KW - Bozozok/dharma
KW - Goosecoid
KW - Organizer formation
KW - Vega
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0033711149&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/1526-968X(200010)28:2<58::AID-GENE30>3.0.CO;2-N
DO - 10.1002/1526-968X(200010)28:2<58::AID-GENE30>3.0.CO;2-N
M3 - Article
C2 - 11064422
AN - SCOPUS:0033711149
SN - 1526-954X
VL - 28
SP - 58
EP - 67
JO - Genesis
JF - Genesis
IS - 2
ER -