Kh. Kaestner et al., THE MOUSE FKH-2 GENE - IMPLICATIONS FOR NOTOCHORD, FOREGUT, AND MIDBRAIN REGIONALIZATION, The Journal of biological chemistry, 270(50), 1995, pp. 30029-30035
The ''winged helix'' or ''forkhead'' transcription factors comprise a
large gene family whose members are defined by a common 100-amino acid
DNA binding domain, Here we describe the structure and expression of
the mouse fkh-2 gene, which encodes a protein of 48 kDa with high simi
larity to other winged helix transcription factors within the DNA bind
ing region, but unique potential transactivation domains, The gene is
encoded by a single exon and is expressed in headfold stage embryos in
the notochord, the anterior neuroectoderm, and a few cells of the def
inite endoderm. This expression becomes restricted to the anteriormost
portions of the invaginating foregut and the developing midbrain. Fro
m day 11.5 of gestation onward, fkh-2 transcripts are restricted to th
e midbrain and become progressively localized to the red nuclei as the
sole site of expression. The fkh-2 gene maps to chromosome 19B and is
a candidate gene for the mouse mutation mdf(muscle-deficient) which i
s characterized by nervous tremors and degeneration of the hindlimb mu
scles. Although the expression patterns of the fkh-2 gene and another
winged helix protein, HNF-3 beta, are overlapping in early stages of g
estation and although the promoter of the fkh-2 gene contains a HNF-3
binding site, we demonstrate that the activation of the fkh-2 gene is
independent of HNF-3 beta.