Fischer Andreas, Gessler Manfred
Physiological Chemistry I, Theodor-Boveri-Institute, University of Wuerzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Wuerzburg, Germany.
Trends Cardiovasc Med. 2003 Aug;13(6):221-6. doi: 10.1016/s1050-1738(03)00082-3.
Hey genes encode a small family of basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors that are related to the Drosophila hairy and Enhancer-of-split genes. They belong to the still-limited number of direct targets of the Notch signaling pathway and are thus candidate molecules to effect critical developmental decisions like lateral inhibition, boundary formation, and inductive processes in numerous tissues. Human inherited mutations such as cerebral autosomal-dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukencephalopathy and Alagille syndrome, as well as several mouse models, have highlighted the role of Notch signals in cardiovascular development and maintenance. Functional analyses in both mouse and zebrafish now have shown that Hey genes appear to be the most prominent transmitters for such signals to shape the cardiovascular system during development and perhaps also in later life.
Hey基因编码一个小的碱性螺旋-环-螺旋（bHLH）转录因子家族，这些转录因子与果蝇的hairy基因和分裂增强子基因相关。它们属于Notch信号通路数量仍然有限的直接靶点，因此是影响关键发育决策的候选分子，如许多组织中的侧向抑制、边界形成和诱导过程。人类遗传性突变，如伴有皮质下梗死和白质脑病的大脑常染色体显性动脉病以及阿拉吉耶综合征，以及几种小鼠模型，都突出了Notch信号在心血管发育和维持中的作用。目前在小鼠和斑马鱼中的功能分析表明，Hey基因似乎是在发育过程中以及可能在生命后期塑造心血管系统的此类信号的最主要传递者。
