Aruga J, Nagai T, Tokuyama T, Hayashizaki Y, Okazaki Y, Chapman V M, Mikoshiba K
Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, Tsukuba Life Science Center, Ibaraki, Japan.
J Biol Chem. 1996 Jan 12;271(2):1043-7. doi: 10.1074/jbc.271.2.1043.
The mouse Zic gene, which encodes a zinc finger protein, is expressed in the developing or matured central nervous system in a highly restricted manner. We identified two novel Zic-related genes (Zic2, Zic3) through genomic and cDNA cloning. Both genes are highly similar to Zic(1), especially in their zinc finger motif. A comparison of genomic organization among the three Zic genes showed that they share common exon-intron boundaries and belong to the same gene family . Zic1, Zic2, and Zic3 were determined to mouse chromosome 9, 14, and X using an interspecific backcross panel. Northern blotting and ribonuclease protection showed that Zic2 and Zic3 are expressed in a restricted manner in the cerebellum at the adult stage. However, the temporal profile of the mRNA expression in the developing cerebella differ in the three Zic genes. Furthermore, we found that the Drosophila pair-rule gene, odd-paired is highly homologous to the Zic gene family. The similarity was not only the zinc finger motif, but also the exon-intron boundary was the same as those of mouse Zic gene family. These findings suggest that the Zic gene family and Drosophila odd-paired are derived from a common ancestral gene.
编码锌指蛋白的小鼠Zic基因在发育中的或成熟的中枢神经系统中以高度受限的方式表达。我们通过基因组和cDNA克隆鉴定了两个新的Zic相关基因（Zic2、Zic3）。这两个基因都与Zic(1)高度相似，尤其是在它们的锌指基序方面。对三个Zic基因的基因组结构进行比较表明，它们具有共同的外显子-内含子边界，属于同一基因家族。利用种间回交群体将Zic1、Zic2和Zic3定位到小鼠的第9、14号染色体和X染色体上。Northern印迹法和核糖核酸酶保护实验表明，Zic2和Zic3在成年期的小脑中以受限的方式表达。然而，在发育中的小脑中，这三个Zic基因的mRNA表达的时间模式有所不同。此外，我们发现果蝇的成对规则基因odd-paired与Zic基因家族高度同源。这种相似性不仅体现在锌指基序上，而且外显子-内含子边界也与小鼠Zic基因家族的相同。这些发现表明，Zic基因家族和果蝇的odd-paired源自一个共同的祖先基因。
