Abstract
BackgroundAmong Myc family genes, c-Myc is known to have a role in neural crest specification in Xenopus and in craniofacial development in the mouse. There is no information on the function of other Myc genes in neural crest development, or about any developmental role of zebrafish Myc genes.Principal FindingsWe isolated the zebrafish mych (myc homologue) gene. Knockdown of mych leads to severe defects in craniofacial development and in certain other tissues including the eye. These phenotypes appear to be caused by cell death in the neural crest and in the eye field in the anterior brain.SignificanceMych is a novel factor required for neural crest cell survival in zebrafish.
Highlights
Myc genes function in cellular proliferation by regulating cell cycle progression, apoptosis, and cell transformation
The C-terminal domain (CTD) contains a basic helix-loop-helix leucine zipper motif that is necessary for target DNA binding and regulation of gene expression
A phylogenic tree of the Myc family based on the CTD shows that Mych is located between the c-Myc and N-Myc clusters, closer to N-Myc (Fig. 1C)
Summary
Myc genes function in cellular proliferation by regulating cell cycle progression, apoptosis, and cell transformation. Myc factors are thought of as regulators of gene transcription that activate or repress multiple target genes [1,2,3,4,5]. The Myc NTD contributes to the control of transcriptional activation or repression of downstream target genes [6,7,8,9]. While the role of the Myc family in cell proliferation and cancer has received wide attention, comparatively less is known about its developmental functions. Among Myc family genes, c-Myc is known to have a role in neural crest specification in Xenopus and in craniofacial development in the mouse. There is no information on the function of other Myc genes in neural crest development, or about any developmental role of zebrafish Myc genes
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