Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
10931591 | Developmental Biology | 2014 | 10 Pages |
Abstract
During neurogenesis, conserved tissue-specific proneural factors establish a cell׳s competence to take on neural fate from within a field of unspecified cells. Proneural genes encode basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors that promote the expression of 'core' and subtype-specific target genes. Target genes include both pan-neuronal genes and genes that aid in the process of refinement, known as lateral inhibition. In this process, proneural gene expression is increased in the neural progenitor while simultaneously down-regulated in the surrounding cells, in a Notch signalling-dependent manner. Here, we identify nemo (nmo) as a target of members of both Drosophila Atonal and Achaete-Scute proneural factor families and find that mammalian proneural homologs induce Nemo-like-kinase (Nlk) expression in cell culture. We find that nmo loss of function leads to reduced expression of Notch targets and to perturbations in Notch-mediated lateral inhibition. Furthermore, Notch hyperactivity can compensate for nmo loss in the Drosophila eye. Thus nmo promotes Notch-mediated lateral inhibition downstream of proneural factors during neurogenesis.
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Authors
Vilaiwan M. Fernandes, Shanker S.S. Panchapakesan, Lorena R. Braid, Esther M. Verheyen,