Recombineering Hunchback identifies two conserved domains required to maintain neuroblast competence and specify early-born neuronal identity.

The Hunchback/Ikaros family of zinc-finger transcription factors is essential for specifying the anterior/posterior body axis in insects, the fate of early-born pioneer neurons in Drosophila, and for retinal and immune development in mammals. Hunchback/Ikaros proteins can directly activate or repress target gene transcription during early insect development, but their mode ...
of action during neural development is unknown. Here, we use recombineering to generate a series of Hunchback domain deletion variants and assay their function during neurogenesis in the absence of endogenous Hunchback. Previous studies have shown that Hunchback can specify early-born neuronal identity and maintain 'young' neural progenitor (neuroblast) competence. We identify two conserved domains required for Hunchback-mediated transcriptional repression, and show that transcriptional repression is necessary and sufficient to induce early-born neuronal identity and maintain neuroblast competence. We identify pdm2 as a direct target gene that must be repressed to maintain competence, but show that additional genes must also be repressed. We propose that Hunchback maintains early neuroblast competence by silencing a suite of late-expressed genes.
Mesh Terms:
Animals, Central Nervous System, DNA-Binding Proteins, Drosophila, Drosophila Proteins, Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental, Homeodomain Proteins, Microscopy, Confocal, Neurogenesis, Neurons, POU Domain Factors, Protein Structure, Tertiary, Transcription Factors
Development
Date: May. 01, 2010
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