Henrique D, Adam J, Myat A, Chitnis A, Lewis J, Ish-Horowicz D
Developmental Genetics Laboratory, University of Oxford, UK.
Nature. 1995 Jun 29;375(6534):787-90. doi: 10.1038/375787a0.
The product of the Delta gene, acting as ligand, and that of the Notch gene, acting as receptor, are key components in a lateral-inhibition signalling pathway that regulates the detailed patterning of many different tissues in Drosophila. During neurogenesis in particular, neural precursors, by expressing Delta, inhibit neighbouring Notch-expressing cells from becoming committed to a neural fate. Vertebrates are known to have several Notch genes, but their functions are unclear and their ligands hitherto unidentified. Here we identify and describe a chick Delta homologue, C-Delta-1. We show that C-Delta-1 is expressed in prospective neurons during neurogenesis, as new cells are being born and their fates decided. Our data from the chick, combined with parallel evidence from Xenopus, suggest that both the Delta/Notch signalling mechanism and its role in neurogenesis have been conserved in vertebrates.
作为配体的Delta基因产物和作为受体的Notch基因产物，是果蝇中调节许多不同组织精细模式形成的侧向抑制信号通路的关键组成部分。特别是在神经发生过程中，神经前体细胞通过表达Delta，抑制相邻表达Notch的细胞向神经命运分化。已知脊椎动物有多个Notch基因，但其功能尚不清楚，其配体迄今也未明确。在此，我们鉴定并描述了一种鸡的Delta同源物C-Delta-1。我们发现，在神经发生过程中，随着新细胞的产生及其命运的确定，C-Delta-1在前体神经元中表达。我们来自鸡的实验数据，结合来自非洲爪蟾的平行证据，表明Delta/Notch信号传导机制及其在神经发生中的作用在脊椎动物中是保守的。
