[CITATION][C] Neural crest expression of Cre recombinase directed by the proximal Pax3 promoter in transgenic mice

J Li, F Chen, JA Epstein - genesis, 2000 - Wiley Online Library
J Li, F Chen, JA Epstein
genesis, 2000Wiley Online Library
Pax3 encodes a transcription factor expressed during early to midgestation in the dorsal
neural tube and somite (Goulding et al., 1991). Mutations in humans and mice indicate that
Pax3 is required for neural crest and hypaxial muscle development (Auerbach, 1954;
Epstein et al., 1991; Tassabehji et al., 1992). Homozygous Pax3 deficient Splotch embryos
die during midgestation with cardiac and muscular defects. Cardiac abnormalities are
similar to those seen in chick embryos after ablation of premigratory neural crest cells (Kirby …
Pax3 encodes a transcription factor expressed during early to midgestation in the dorsal neural tube and somite (Goulding et al., 1991). Mutations in humans and mice indicate that Pax3 is required for neural crest and hypaxial muscle development (Auerbach, 1954; Epstein et al., 1991; Tassabehji et al., 1992). Homozygous Pax3 deficient Splotch embryos die during midgestation with cardiac and muscular defects. Cardiac abnormalities are similar to those seen in chick embryos after ablation of premigratory neural crest cells (Kirby et al., 1983). Hence, Pax3 has been implicated in migration or function of cardiac neural crest (Conway et al., 1997). Mutant embryos have other neural crest defects including absence or deficiencies of dorsal root and sympathetic ganglia.
Pax3 is normally expressed in the dorsal neural tube, the region from which neural crest cells emerge, beginning at E8. 5 (Goulding et al., 1991). Shortly afterward, it is expressed in presomitic mesoderm, and is later restricted to the lateral dermomyotome, which gives rise to hypaxial musculature (Tajbakhsh et al., 1997). By E14. 5, expression abates, though it later re-emerges in mature Schwann cells (Kioussi et al., 1995). We have recently described a 1.6-Kb proximal Pax3 upstream region that directs expression of lacZ in dorsal neural tube and in neural crest derived dorsal root ganglia (drg), but not in the somite (Li et al., 1999). When this promoter element directs expression of Pax3 protein in transgenic mice, it is capable of rescuing cardiac development and formation of drg in Splotch embryos. Transgenic Splotch embryos survive until birth, but lack a muscular diaphragm due to absence of Pax3 in myogenic precursors. Hence, the 1.6-Kb proximal Pax3 promoter regulates expression of Pax3 in neural crest but not somitic domains.
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