cSox21 is a novel member of the Sox gene family of transcription factors. This gene is a member of the subgroup B, which includes Sox1, Sox2 and Sox3. Although all of these genes are predominantly expressed in the nervous system, only cSox21 expression is positionally restricted within the CNS. Longitudinal stripes are seen in the spinal cord and a more complex pattern is seen in the brain. The...

immediate early step in PrE specification. We show that the fraction cells present with in this state is influenced by factors that both promote and suppress primitive PrE differentiation, however conditions that support ES cell self-renewal prevent their progression into endoderm differentiation and support an equilibrium between this state and at least one other that resembles the inner cell ...

The homeobox gene goosecoid was the first specific genetic marker of Spemann's organizer in vertebrate embryos to be discovered. In the frog, misexpression of this gene by RNA injection produces duplication of the posterior axis. For these reasons, the recent finding that mice lacking goosecoid function have no early axial defects was rather surprising. Here we assay the neural inducing strengt...

The organizer is one of the earliest structures to be established during vertebrate development and is crucial to subsequent patterning of the embryo. We have previously shown that the SoxB1 transcription factor, Sox3, plays a central role as a transcriptional repressor of zebrafish organizer gene expression. Recent data suggest that Fgf signaling has a positive influence on organizer formation...

Septo-optic dysplasia (SOD) is a highly heterogeneous condition comprising a variable phenotype of optic nerve hypoplasia, midline brain abnormalities and pituitary hypoplasia with consequent endocrine deficits. The majority of cases are sporadic and several aetiologies have been suggested to account for the pathogenesis of the condition. However, a number of familial cases have been described ...

Sex determination in all mammals is initiated by the Sry locus on the Y chromosome. Sry is a member of the large Sox HMG gene family postulated to have evolved from an ancestor of its paralogue on the Y chromosome, Sox3. This study investigates the relationship of Sry to the Sox genes of other animals, rooted against the HMG protein genes of a number of protists. It also looks at the evolution ...

Similarities and differences of X and Y chromosome homologous genes, SRY and SOX3, 1 in regulating the renin-angiotensin system promoters. 2 Fabiano C. Araujo1, Amy Milsted2, Ingrid K. M. Watanabe3, Helen L. Del Puerto1, Robson 3 A. S. Santos4, Jozef Lazar5,6, Fernando M. Reis1, Jeremy W. Prokop5,6 4 National Institute of Science and Technology in Molecular Medicine and Department of 5 Obstetri...