| First Author | Bramblett DE | Year | 2002 |
| Journal | Genomics | Volume | 79 |
| Issue | 3 | Pages | 402-12 |
| PubMed ID | 11863370 | Mgi Jnum | J:73895 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:2157082 | Doi | 10.1006/geno.2002.6708 |
| Citation | Bramblett DE, et al. (2002) BHLHB4 Is a bHLH Transcriptional Regulator in Pancreas and Brain That Marks the Dimesencephalic Boundary. Genomics 79(3):402-12 |
| abstractText | We have cloned a basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) factor gene, Bhlhb4, from a mouse beta-cell line. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and genetic mapping place Bhlhb4 at the telomeric end of mouse chromosome 2 (H3-H4), syntenic to human chromosome 20q13. Based on phylogenetic analysis, BHLHB4 belongs to a new subgroup of bHLH factors including at least four previously identified mouse bHLH factors: BHLHB5, MIST1, OLIG1, OLIG2, and OLIG3. In the developing nervous system, Bhlhb4 was found to mark the dimesencephalic boundary, suggesting that Bhlhb4 may have a role in diencephalic regionalization. In the pancreas, Bhlhb4 is expressed in a transient fashion that suggests a role in the pancreatic endocrine cell lineage. Transfection experiments show that BHLHB4 can repress transcriptional activation mediated through the pancreatic beta-cell specific insulin promoter enhancer RIPE3. Together, these data suggest that BHLHB4 may modulate the expression of genes required for the differentiation and/or maintenance of pancreatic and neuronal cell types. |
