Is There aBrachyury the Second?Analysis of a Transgenic Mutation Involved in Notochord Maintenance in Mice

Gabriela M. Rennebeck, Eric Lader, Qi Chen, Rudy A. Bohm, Zeling S. Cai, Cynthia Faust, Terry Magnuson, Larry R. Pease, Karen Artzt

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

16 Scopus citations

Abstract

A new phenotype mapping to thet-complex, which is designatedBrachyury the Second(T2), is characterized by a slightly shortened tail in heterozygotes and homozygous failure to form an organized notochord with subsequent abnormal development of posterior somites and neural tube. The phenotype ofT2superficially resembles that ofBrachyury;however, there are several important differences.Brachyuryhomozygotes fail to make posterior somites, notochord, floor plate, and a placental connection, resulting in death by 10.5 days of development. In contrast, T2homozygotes make posterior somites, scattered notochord cells, and floorplate and achieve an allantoic connection. However, despite making a maternal connection, T2homozygotes cease development at E11.5 and die soon after. We have cloned and analyzed the transgene insertion site, which maps within 100 kb of theBrachyurygene, but does not seem to physically interrupt nor affect transcription from that locus. The existence of a second gene mapping nearBrachyuryand affecting the same developmental processes was alluded to over 50 years ago and has been debated ever since. An embryological description ofT2is presented, as is a discussion of the implications of a single, largerBrachyurylocus versus two closely linked genes coordinately regulating axial development.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)206-217
Number of pages12
JournalDevelopmental Biology
Volume172
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 1995

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Molecular Biology
  • Developmental Biology
  • Cell Biology

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