Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

Members of the Sox family of transcription factors play a variety of critical developmental roles in both vertebrates and invertebrates. Whereas SoxBs and SoxEs are involved in neural and neural crest development, respectively, far less is known about members of the SoxC subfamily. To address this from an evolutionary perspective, we compare expression and function of SoxC genes in neural crest cells and their derivatives in lamprey (Petromyzon marinus), a basal vertebrate, to frog (Xenopus laevis). Analysis of transcript distribution reveals conservation of lamprey and X. laevis SoxC expression in premigratory neural crest, branchial arches, and cranial ganglia. Moreover, morpholino-mediated loss-of-function of selected SoxC family members demonstrates essential roles in aspects of neural crest development in both organisms. The results suggest important and conserved functions of SoxC genes during vertebrate evolution and a particularly critical, previously unrecognized role in early neural crest specification.

Original publication

DOI

10.1016/j.ydbio.2014.09.022

Type

Journal article

Journal

Dev Biol

Publication Date

15/01/2015

Volume

397

Pages

282 - 292

Keywords

Evolution, Lamprey, Neural crest, Neuronal differentiation, SoxC, Animals, Cloning, Molecular, DNA Primers, DNA, Complementary, Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental, Gene Knockdown Techniques, In Situ Hybridization, Neural Crest, Neural Plate, Oligonucleotides, Petromyzon, Phylogeny, SOXC Transcription Factors, Xenopus laevis, beta-Galactosidase