Abstract
maf is a family of oncogenes originally identified from avian oncogenic retrovirus, AS42, encoding a nuclear bZip transcription factor. We have isolated two maf related cDNA clones, maf-1 and maf-2, from a rat liver cDNA library. Comparison of the sequence homologies of the proteins encoded by maf-1 and maf-2 with those of c-maf and chicken mafB indicated that maf-1 and maf-2 are the rat homologues of mafB and c-maf, respectively. Both genes are expressed at low levels in a wide variety of rat tissues, including spleen, kidney, muscle and liver. Immunohistochemical studies and in situ hybridization analyses show that maf-1 and maf-2 are strongly expressed in the late stages of chondrocyte development in the femur epiphysis and the rib and limb cartilage of 15 day old (E15) embryo in rat. Cartilage cells, induced by subcutaneous implantation of bone morphogenic protein, also expressed maf-1 and maf-2. In situ hybridization analyses of E15 embryos show that both genes are expressed in the eye lens and the spinal cord as well as the cartilage. However, the expression patterns of maf-1 and maf-2 in lens and spinal cord are different.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 50 print issues and online access
$259.00 per year
only $5.18 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sakai, M., Imaki, J., Yoshida, K. et al. Rat maf related genes: specific expression in chondrocytes, lens and spinal cord. Oncogene 14, 745–750 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.onc.1200869
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.onc.1200869
Keywords
This article is cited by
-
Multicentric Carpotarsal Osteolysis: a Contemporary Perspective on the Unique Skeletal Phenotype
Current Osteoporosis Reports (2023)
-
Association of polymorphisms in the MAFB gene and the risk of coronary artery disease and ischemic stroke: a case–control study
Lipids in Health and Disease (2015)
-
Molecular profiling of the developing mouse axial skeleton: a role for Tgfbr2 in the development of the intervertebral disc
BMC Developmental Biology (2010)
-
Expression of maf-B mRNA in the epithelium around the eyelid closure of the mouse eye at embryonic day�18
Anatomy and Embryology (2004)