Sox3, which belongs to the SoxB1 subgroup, plays major roles in neural and gonadal development. In the present study, Japanese flounder Paralichthys olivaceus sox3 gene (Posox3) and its promoter sequence were isolated and characterized. The deduced PoSox3 protein contained 298 amino acids with a characteristic HMG-box domain. Alignment and phylogenetic analyses indicated that PoSox3 shares high...

Polyalanine expansions in transcription factors have been associated with eight distinct congenital human diseases. It is thought that in each case the polyalanine expansion causes misfolding of the protein that abrogates protein function. Misfolded proteins form aggregates when expressed in vitro; however, it is less clear whether aggregation is of relevance to these diseases in vivo. To inves...

Formation of the organizer is one of the most central patterning events in vertebrate development. Organizer-derived signals are responsible for establishing the CNS and patterning the dorsal ventral axis. The mechanisms promoting organizer formation are known to involve cooperation between Nodal and Wnt signalling. However, the organizer forms in a very restricted region, suggesting the presen...

The Sry locus on the mammalian Y chromosome is the developmental switch responsible for testis determination. Inconsistent with this important function, the Sry locus is transcribed in adult males at times and in tissues not involved with testis determination. Sry is expressed in multiple tissues of the peripheral and central nervous system. Sry is derived from Sox3 and is similar to other SOXB...

In mammals, male sex determination, as well as spermatogenesis, is controlled by genes on the Y chromosome. Evolutionary comparisons may be used to detect and test candidate genes for these functions, under the hypothesis that the rapid evolution of the mammalian Y chromosome causes it to contain few genes other than those with a critical function in male reproduction. Comparisons of the gene c...

Pluripotent embryonic stem (ES) cells can generate all cell types, but how cell lineages are initially specified and maintained during development remains largely unknown. Different classes of Sox transcription factors are expressed during neurogenesis and have been assigned important roles from early lineage specification to neuronal differentiation. Here we characterize the genome-wide bindin...

A dominant molecular explanation for neural induction is the 'default model', which proposes that the ectoderm is pre-programmed towards a neural fate, but is normally inhibited by endogenous BMPs. Although there is strong evidence favouring this in Xenopus, data from other organisms suggest more complexity, including an involvement of FGF and modulation of Wnt. However, it is generally believe...

Maternal mARNs are key players of the first steps of development in vertebrates. Initially silenced in oocytes, these transcripts are activated and translated after fertilization and play crucial roles in early cell lineage allocation into the germ layers. We previously reported that the RNA-binding protein XSeb4R regulates endoderm and mesoderm formation by stabilizing and stimulating the tran...