Molecular mechanisms for building the brain : Molecular genetic analysis of brain development in the neurogenetic model systems drosophila and mouse

• Forschungsstelle: EU FRP
• Projektnummer: 95.0898-1
• Projekttitel Englisch: Molecular mechanisms for building the brain : Molecular genetic analysis of brain development in the neurogenetic model systems drosophila and mouse

Schlüsselwörter (Englisch)

Eyeless; Pax-6; brain eye; target genes

Alternative Projektnummern (Englisch)

EU project number: BIO4CT960042

Forschungsprogramme (Englisch)

EU-programme: 4. Frame Research Programme - 4.1 Biotechnology

Kurzbeschreibung (Englisch)

See abstract

Abstract (Englisch)

Pax-6 has been identified as a master controlgene for eye development, and it is also required for the development for the nose, parts of the brain and the central nervous system, both in mammals and insects. The ectopic expression of either the Drosophila gene or its homologs from mouse, squid or sea squirts is capable of inducing ectopic eyes in Drosophila, indicating that Pax-6 is on top of a genetic hierarchy composed of some 2500 genes required for eye morphogenesis. We would like to compare this hierarchy between Drosophila and mouse. During the second year of the granting period we have concentrated on the identification of target genes of Pax-6. We have been able to show that sine oculis (so) is a direct target gene transcriptionally regulated by the Eyeless Protein (EY) (Numi et al. Development, in press). We have obtained evidence for a direct interaction from expression studies in transgenic flies, from transcription activation studies in yeast, and from gelshift assays in vitro that in the EY protein activates transcription of so by binding to an eye-specific enhancer in the long intron of the so gene. Also, we have screened for additional target genes using the SABRE method and identified at least one interesting canditade gene that is expressed early in eye morphogenesis, anterior to the morphogenetic furrow. In order to get a wide spectrum of target genes, we are beginning to use DNA chip technology in collaboration with a pharmaceutical company.

Datenbankreferenzen (Englisch)

Swiss Database: Euro-DB of the
State Secretariat for Education and Research
Hallwylstrasse 4
CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland
Tel. [phone]
Swiss Project-Number: 95.0898-1