ヨシダ ケイタ   YOSHIDA Keita
  吉田 慶太
   所属   医学部 医学科
   職種   助教
論文種別 原著
言語種別 英語
査読の有無 査読あり
表題 Left-right asymmetric expression of Pitx is regulated by the asymmetric Nodal signaling through an intronic enhancer in Ciona intestinalis.
掲載誌名 正式名:Development genes and evolution
略  称:Dev Genes Evol
ISSNコード:0949-944X(Print)0949-944X(Linking)
掲載区分国外
巻・号・頁 218(7),pp.353-60
著者・共著者 Yoshida Keita†, Saiga Hidetoshi*
担当区分 筆頭著者
発行年月 2008/07
概要 Left-right asymmetric expression of Pitx as well as of Nodal has been observed in some ascidian species, but a mechanism that regulates the asymmetric expression of Pitx remains largely unclear. We addressed the transcription regulatory mechanism of the left-right asymmetric expression of Pitx gene in the ascidian, Ciona intestinalis. We first identified an intronic enhancer that drives Ci-Pitx left-sided expression in the epidermis and found that a single FoxH1 binding site present in this enhancer is essential for its activity. Also, we have shown that the enhancer requires Nodal signaling to drive the Ci-Pitx expression in the left epidermis. In C. intestinalis, left-sided expression of the Nodal gene has not been reported so far. We have confirmed that Ci-Nodal is expressed in the left epidermis of embryos at the tailbud stage only when they are allowed to develop within the chorion. Then, to test the importance of the FoxH1 binding site, we carried out knock down experiments using morpholino antisense oligonucleotides against Ci-FoxHa, the only FoxH gene that is expressed in the same stage as the left-sided expression of Ci-Pitx is observed. Knocking down of the function of Ci-FoxHa led to the down regulation of the expression of Ci-Pitx in the left epidermis. The present results suggest that the regulatory mechanism controlling the left-right asymmetric expression of the Pitx genes is well conserved between C. intestinalis and vertebrates.
DOI 10.1007/s00427-008-0230-3
文献番号 18546017