Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Article
  • Published:

An ancient family of embryonically expressed mouse genes sharing a conserved protein motif with the T locus

Abstract

The T locus encodes a product with DNA binding activity that is likely to play a role in the development of all vertebrate organisms. We have identified and characterized a novel family of mouse genes that share a protein motif, the T–box, with the prototypical T locus. The T–box domain of the T locus co–localizes with its DNA binding activity. Each T–box gene is expressed in a unique temporal and spatial pattern during embryogenesis. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that at least three T–box genes were present in the common ancestor to vertebrates and invertebrates. Thus, members of the T–box family could have played a role in the evolution of all metazoan organisms.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Dobrovolskaia-Zavadskaia, N. & Kobozieff, N. Sur la reproduction des souris anoures. C. r. Séane. Soc. Biol. 97, 116–119 (1927).

    Google Scholar 

  2. Herrmann, B.G., Labeit, S., Poustka, A., King, T.R. & Lehrach, H. Cloning of the T gene required in mesoderm formation in the mouse. Nature 343, 617–622 (1990).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Smith, J.C., Price, B.M.J., Green, J.B.A., Weigel, D. & Herrmann, B.G. Expression of a Xenopus homolog of a Brachyury (T) is an immediate-early response to mesoderm induction. Cell 67, 79–87 (1991).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Schulte-Merker, S., Ho, R.K., Herrmann, B.G. & Nüsslein-Volhard, C. The protein product of the zebrafish homologue of the mouse T gene is expressed in nuclei of the germ ring and the notochord of the early embryo. Development 116, 1021–1032 (1992).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Herrmann, B.G. Action of the Brachyury gene in mouse embryogenesis. Ciba Found. Symp. 165, 78–91 (1992).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Cunliffe, V. & Smith, J.C. Ectopic mesoderm formation in Xenopus embryos caused by widespread expression of a Brachyury homologue. Nature 358, 427–430 (1992).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Kispert, A. & Herrmann, B.G. The Brachyury gene encodes a novel DNA binding protein. EMBO J. 12, 3211–3220 (1993).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  8. McGinnis, W. & Krumlauf, R. Homeobox genes and axial patterning. Cell 68, 283–302 (1992).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Gruss, P. & Walther, C., Pax in development. Cell 69, 719–722 (1992).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. He, X. & Rosenfeld, M.G. Mechanisms of complex transcriptional regulation: Implications for brain development. Neuron 7, 183–196 (1991).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Pflugfelder, G.O., Roth, H. & Poeck, B. A homology domain shared between Drosophila optomotor-blind and mouse Brachyury is involved in DNA binding. Biochem. Biophys. res. Comm. 186, 918–925 (1992).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Pflugfelder, G.O. et al. Genetic and molecular characterization of the optomotor-blind gene locus in Drosophila melanogaster . Genetics 126, 91–104 (1990).

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  13. Pflugfelder, G.O. et al. The lethal(1) optomotor-blind gene of Drosophila melanogaster is a major organizer of optic lobe development: Isolation and characterization of the gene. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 89, 1199–1203 (1992).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Rowe, L.B. et al. Maps from two interspecific backcross DNA panels available as a community genetic mapping resource. Mammal. Genome 5, 253–274 (1994).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Silver, L.M., Nadeau, J.H. & Goodfellow, P.N. Encyclopedia of the Mouse Genome III. Mammal. Genome 4 (special issue), S1–S283 (1993).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Wilkinson, D.G., Bhatt, S. & Herrmann, B.G. Expression pattern of the mouse T gene and its role in mesoderm formation. Nature 343, 657–659 (1990).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Chomczynski, P. & Sacchi, N. Single step method of RNA isolation by acid guanidinium thiocyanate-phenol-chloroform extraction. Anal. Biochem. 161, 156–159 (1987).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Foley, K.P., Leonard, M.W. & Engel, J.D. Quantitation of RNA using the polymerase chain reaction. Trend. Genet. 9, 380–385 (1993).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Himmelbauer, H. & Silver, L.M. High-resolution comparative mapping of mouse chromosome 17. Genomics 17, 110–120 (1993).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Fahrner, K., Hogan, B.L.M. & Flavell, R.A. Transcription of H-2 and Qa genes in embryonic and adult mice. EMBO J. 6, 1265–1271 (1987).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  21. Devereux, J., Haeberli, P. & Smithies, O. A comprehensive set of sequence analysis programs for the VAX. Nucl. Acids Res. 12, 387–395 (1984).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  22. Swofford, D.L. Phylogenetic Analysis Using Parsimony (PAUP), version 3.0k. (Illinois Natural History Survey, Champaign, 1991).

    Google Scholar 

  23. Conlon, R.A. & Rossant, J. Exogenous retinoic acid reapdily induces anterior ectopic expression of murine Hox-2 genes in vivo. Development 116, 357–368 (1992).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Bollag, R., Siegfried, Z., Cebra-Thomas, J. et al. An ancient family of embryonically expressed mouse genes sharing a conserved protein motif with the T locus. Nat Genet 7, 383–389 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1038/ng0794-383

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ng0794-383

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing