Kageyama Ryoichiro, Ohtsuka Toshiyuki, Kobayashi Taeko
Institute for Virus Research, Kyoto University and Japan Science and Technology Agency, CREST, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan.
Development. 2007 Apr;134(7):1243-51. doi: 10.1242/dev.000786. Epub 2007 Feb 28.
Embryogenesis involves orchestrated processes of cell proliferation and differentiation. The mammalian Hes basic helix-loop-helix repressor genes play central roles in these processes by maintaining progenitor cells in an undifferentiated state and by regulating binary cell fate decisions. Hes genes also display an oscillatory expression pattern and control the timing of biological events, such as somite segmentation. Many aspects of Hes expression are regulated by Notch signaling, which mediates cell-cell communication. This primer describes these pleiotropic roles of Hes genes in some developmental processes and aims to clarify the basic mechanism of how gene networks operate in vertebrate embryogenesis.
胚胎发生涉及细胞增殖和分化的协调过程。哺乳动物的Hes碱性螺旋-环-螺旋抑制基因在这些过程中发挥核心作用，通过维持祖细胞处于未分化状态以及调节二元细胞命运决定。Hes基因还表现出振荡表达模式并控制生物事件的时间，如体节分割。Hes表达的许多方面受Notch信号调控，Notch信号介导细胞间通讯。本引物描述了Hes基因在一些发育过程中的这些多效性作用，旨在阐明基因网络在脊椎动物胚胎发生中如何运作的基本机制。
