Affiliation:
1. Department of Biomedical Genetics and Center for Oral Biology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York 14642
2. Shriners Hospital for Children, Research Division, Portland, Oregon 97239
Abstract
ABSTRACT
The
Mohawk homeobox
(
Mkx
) gene encodes a new atypical homeodomain-containing protein with transcriptional repressor activity.
Mkx
mRNA exhibited dynamic expression patterns during development of the palate, somite, kidney, and testis, suggesting that it may be an important regulator of multiple developmental processes. To investigate the roles of Mkx in organogenesis, we generated mice carrying a null mutation in this gene.
Mkx
−/−
mice survive postnatally and exhibit a unique wavy-tail phenotype. Close examination revealed that the mutant mice had smaller tendons than wild-type littermates and that the rapid postnatal growth of collagen fibrils in tendons was disrupted in
Mkx
−/−
mice. Defects in tendon development were detected in the mutant mouse embryos as early as embryonic day 16.5 (E16.5). Although collagen fibril assembly initially appeared normal, the tendons of
Mkx
−/−
embryos expressed significantly reduced amounts of collagen I, fibromodulin, and tenomodulin in comparison with control littermates. We found that
Mkx
mRNA was strongly expressed in differentiating tendon cells during embryogenesis and in the tendon sheath cells in postnatal stages. In addition to defects in tendon collagen fibrillogenesis,
Mkx
−/−
mutant mice exhibited abnormal tendon sheaths. These results identify Mkx as an important regulator of tendon development.
Publisher
American Society for Microbiology
Subject
Cell Biology,Molecular Biology
Cited by
143 articles.
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