Functional dissection of the Paired domain of Pax6 distinct roles of subdomains in neurogenesis and proliferation

The transcription factor Pax6 acts as a key developmental regulator in various organs. In the developing brain Pax6 regulates patterning, neurogenesis and proliferation, but how these diverse effects are mediated at the molecular level is not well understood. As Pax6 regulates forebrain development including neurogenesis, proliferation and patterning, almost exclusively by one of its DNA-binding domains, the bipartite paired domain, we examined the role of its respective DNA-binding subdomains (PAI and RED). Using mice with point mutations in the PAI (Pax6Leca4, N50K) and RED (Pax6Leca2, R128C) subdomains we unravelled opposing roles of mutations in these subdomains in regulating genes that control proliferation in the developing cerebral cortex.

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Walcher T, Xie Q, Sun J, Irmler M, Beckers J, Öztürk T, Niessing D, Stoykova A, Cvekl A, Ninkovic J, Götz M