Abstract
The pattern of neuronal specification in the ventral neural tube is controlled by homeodomain transcription factors expressed by neural progenitor cells, but no general logic has emerged to explain how these proteins determine neuronal fate. We show that most of these homeodomain proteins possess a conserved eh1 motif that mediates the recruitment of Gro/TLE corepressors. The eh1 motif underlies the function of these proteins as repressors during neural patterning in vivo. Inhibition of Gro/TLE-mediated repression in vivo results in a deregulation of cell pattern in the neural tube. These results imply that the pattern of neurogenesis in the neural tube is achieved through the spatially controlled repression of transcriptional repressors-a derepression strategy of neuronal fate specification.
Publication types
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
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Amino Acid Sequence
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Animals
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Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors
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Body Patterning
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COS Cells
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Chlorocebus aethiops
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Consensus Sequence
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DNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism*
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Drosophila / embryology
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Drosophila / genetics
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Gene Expression Regulation
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Genes, Reporter
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Homeodomain Proteins / chemistry
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Homeodomain Proteins / metabolism*
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Molecular Sequence Data
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Nervous System / cytology
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Nervous System / embryology*
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Neurons / cytology*
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Neurons / physiology
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Recombinant Proteins / metabolism
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Repressor Proteins / chemistry
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Repressor Proteins / metabolism*
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Sequence Alignment
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Stem Cells / cytology
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Stem Cells / physiology*
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Transcription Factors / chemistry
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Transcription Factors / metabolism*
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Transcription, Genetic*
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Transfection
Substances
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Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors
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DNA-Binding Proteins
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Homeodomain Proteins
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Recombinant Proteins
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Repressor Proteins
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Transcription Factors
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gro protein, Drosophila