Embryonic expression of zebrafish MiT family genes tfe3b, tfeb, and tfec
- Authors
- Lister, J.A., Lane, B.M., Nguyen, A., and Lunney, K.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-110921-44
- Date
- 2011
- Source
- Developmental Dynamics : an official publication of the American Association of Anatomists 240: 2529-2538 (Journal)
- Registered Authors
- Lane, Brandon, Lister, James A.
- Keywords
- zebrafish, danio rerio, Mitf, transcription factor, gene duplication
- MeSH Terms
-
- Amino Acid Sequence
- Animals
- Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors/genetics*
- Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors/metabolism
- Chromosome Mapping
- Embryo, Nonmammalian
- Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
- Larva/genetics
- Larva/metabolism
- Microphthalmia-Associated Transcription Factor/genetics*
- Microphthalmia-Associated Transcription Factor/metabolism
- Molecular Sequence Data
- Multigene Family
- Phylogeny
- Protein Isoforms/genetics
- Protein Isoforms/metabolism
- Sequence Analysis, DNA
- Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
- Zebrafish/embryology*
- Zebrafish/genetics*
- Zebrafish/metabolism
- Zebrafish Proteins/genetics*
- Zebrafish Proteins/metabolism
- PubMed
- 21932325 Full text @ Dev. Dyn.
The MiT family comprises four genes in mammals: Mitf, Tfe3, Tfeb, and Tfec, which encode transcription factors of the basic-helix-loop-helix/leucine zipper class. Mitf is well-known for its essential role in the development of melanocytes, however the functions of the other members of this family, and of interactions between them, are less well understood. We have now characterized the complete set of MiT genes from zebrafish, which totals six instead of four. The zebrafish genome contain two mitf (mitfa and mitfb), two tfe3 (tfe3a and tfe3b), and single tfeb and tfec genes; this distribution is shared with other teleosts. We present here the sequence and embryonic expression patterns for the zebrafish tfe3b, tfeb, and tfec genes, and identify a new isoform of tfe3a. These findings will assist in elucidating the roles of the MiT gene family over the course of vertebrate evolution.