Merzdorf Christa S
Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana.
Dev Dyn. 2007 Apr;236(4):922-40. doi: 10.1002/dvdy.21098.
Members of the Zic family of zinc finger transcription factors play critical roles in a variety of developmental processes. They are involved in development of neural tissues and the neural crest, in left-right axis patterning, in somite development, and in formation of the cerebellum. In addition to their roles in cell-fate specification, zic genes also promote cell proliferation. Further, they are expressed in postmitotic cells of the cerebellum and in retinal ganglion cells. Efforts to determine the role of individual zic genes within an array of developmental and cellular processes are complicated by overlapping patterns of zic gene expression and strong sequence conservation within this gene family. Nevertheless, substantial progress has been made. This review summarizes our knowledge of the molecular events that govern the activities of zic family members, including emerging relationships between upstream signaling pathways and zic genes. In addition, advancements in our understanding of the molecular events downstream of Zic transcription factors are reviewed. Despite significant progress, however, much remains to be learned regarding the mechanisms through which zic genes exert their function in a variety of different contexts.
锌指转录因子Zic家族的成员在多种发育过程中发挥着关键作用。它们参与神经组织和神经嵴的发育、左右轴模式形成、体节发育以及小脑的形成。除了在细胞命运特化中的作用外，zic基因还促进细胞增殖。此外，它们在小脑的有丝分裂后细胞和视网膜神经节细胞中表达。由于zic基因表达模式重叠以及该基因家族内强烈的序列保守性，确定各个zic基因在一系列发育和细胞过程中的作用变得复杂。然而，已经取得了实质性进展。本综述总结了我们对调控zic家族成员活性的分子事件的认识，包括上游信号通路与zic基因之间新出现的关系。此外，还综述了我们对Zic转录因子下游分子事件理解的进展。然而，尽管取得了重大进展，但关于zic基因在各种不同情况下发挥功能的机制仍有许多有待了解。
