Article abstract
Nature Genetics 40, 1445 - 1453 (2008)
Published online: 16 November 2008 | doi:10.1038/ng.263
Foxj1 transcription factors are master regulators of the motile ciliogenic program
Xianwen Yu1, Chee Peng Ng1, Hermann Habacher1 & Sudipto Roy1,2
Abstract
Motile cilia induce fluid movement through their rhythmic beating activity. In mammals, the transcription factor Foxj1 has been implicated in motile cilia formation. Here we show that a zebrafish Foxj1 homolog, foxj1a, is a target of Hedgehog signaling in the floor plate. Loss of Foxj1a compromises the assembly of motile cilia that decorate floor plate cells. Besides the floor plate, foxj1a is expressed in Kupffer's vesicle and pronephric ducts, where it also promotes ciliary differentiation. We show that Foxj1a activates a constellation of genes essential for motile cilia formation and function, and that its activity is sufficient for ectopic development of cilia that resemble motile cilia. We also document that a paralogous gene, foxj1b, is expressed in the otic vesicle and seems to regulate motile cilia formation in this tissue. Our findings identify a dedicated master regulatory role for Foxj1 in the transcriptional program that controls the production of motile cilia.
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Cancer and Developmental Cell Biology Division, Proteos, 61 Biopolis Drive, Singapore 138673.
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, Singapore 117543.
Correspondence to: Sudipto Roy1,2 e-mail: sudipto@imcb.a-star.edu.sg
MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS
These links to content published by NPG are automatically generated.
NEWS AND VIEWS
New jobs for dynein ATPasesNature News and Views (23 Dec 1987)
Hedgehogs on the road to polarityNature Genetics News and Views (01 Mar 2006)
See all 6 matches for News And ViewsRESEARCH
The forkhead protein Foxj1 specifies node-like cilia in Xenopus and zebrafish embryosNature Genetics Article (01 Dec 2008)
The dynein regulatory complex is required for ciliary motility and otolith biogenesis in the inner earNature Letters to Editor (08 Jan 2009)
See all 46 matches for Research
