Expression of the Otx2 homeobox gene in the developing mammalian brain: embryonic and adult expression in the pineal gland

TY - JOUR

T1 - Expression of the Otx2 homeobox gene in the developing mammalian brain: embryonic and adult expression in the pineal gland

AU - Rath, Martin F

AU - Muñoz, Estela

AU - Ganguly, Surajit

AU - Morin, Fabrice

AU - Shi, Qiong

AU - Klein, David C

AU - Møller, Morten

PY - 2006

Y1 - 2006

N2 - Otx2 is a vertebrate homeobox gene, which has been found to be essential for the development of rostral brain regions and appears to play a role in the development of retinal photoreceptor cells and pinealocytes. In this study, the temporal expression pattern of Otx2 was revealed in the rat brain, with special emphasis on the pineal gland throughout late embryonic and postnatal stages. Widespread high expression of Otx2 in the embryonic brain becomes progressively restricted in the adult to the pineal gland. Crx (cone-rod homeobox), a downstream target gene of Otx2, showed a pineal expression pattern similar to that of Otx2, although there was a distinct lag in time of onset. Otx2 protein was identified in pineal extracts and found to be localized in pinealocytes. Total pineal Otx2 mRNA did not show day-night variation, nor was it influenced by removal of the sympathetic input, indicating that the level of Otx2 mRNA appears to be independent of the photoneural input to the gland. Our results are consistent with the view that pineal expression of Otx2 is required for development and we hypothesize that it plays a role in the adult in controlling the expression of the cluster of genes associated with phototransduction and melatonin synthesis.

AB - Otx2 is a vertebrate homeobox gene, which has been found to be essential for the development of rostral brain regions and appears to play a role in the development of retinal photoreceptor cells and pinealocytes. In this study, the temporal expression pattern of Otx2 was revealed in the rat brain, with special emphasis on the pineal gland throughout late embryonic and postnatal stages. Widespread high expression of Otx2 in the embryonic brain becomes progressively restricted in the adult to the pineal gland. Crx (cone-rod homeobox), a downstream target gene of Otx2, showed a pineal expression pattern similar to that of Otx2, although there was a distinct lag in time of onset. Otx2 protein was identified in pineal extracts and found to be localized in pinealocytes. Total pineal Otx2 mRNA did not show day-night variation, nor was it influenced by removal of the sympathetic input, indicating that the level of Otx2 mRNA appears to be independent of the photoneural input to the gland. Our results are consistent with the view that pineal expression of Otx2 is required for development and we hypothesize that it plays a role in the adult in controlling the expression of the cluster of genes associated with phototransduction and melatonin synthesis.

KW - Age Factors

KW - Animals

KW - Animals, Newborn

KW - Blotting, Northern

KW - Blotting, Western

KW - Brain

KW - Cloning, Molecular

KW - Embryo, Mammalian

KW - Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental

KW - Immunohistochemistry

KW - Otx Transcription Factors

KW - Pineal Gland

KW - Rats

KW - Sequence Analysis, DNA

U2 - 10.1111/j.1471-4159.2006.03773.x

DO - 10.1111/j.1471-4159.2006.03773.x

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 16539656

SN - 0022-3042

VL - 97

SP - 556

EP - 566

JO - Journal of Neurochemistry

JF - Journal of Neurochemistry

IS - 2

ER -