Velocardiofacial syndrome (VCFS) is a developmental disorder characterized by conotruncal heart defects, craniofacial anomalies, and learning disabilities. VCFS is phenotypically related to DiGeorge syndrome (DGS) and both syndromes are associated with hemizygous 22q11 deletions. Because many of the tissues and structures affected in VCFS/DGS derive from the pharyngeal arches of the developing embryo, it is believed that haploinsufficiency of a gene(s) involved in embryonic development may be responsible for its etiology. A homeodomain-containing gene, Goosecoidlike (GSCL), has been recently described, and it resides in the critical region for VCFS/DGS on 22q11. GSCL is related to the Goosecoid gene (GSC) in both sequence of the homeodomain and genomic organization. Gsc in the mouse is expressed during early and midembryogenesis and is required for craniofacial rib, and limb development. The chick homolog of GSCL, termed GSX, is expressed during early chick embryogenesis. We detected GSCL expression in human embryos and biphasic expression in mouse embryos. It is possible that the vertebrate GSCL gene is also required for embryonic development. Due to its location in the critical region on 22q11, GSCL is an excellent candidate gene for VCFS/DGS. The vertebrate GSC protein has the same DNA binding specificity as the Drosophila morphogen, bicoid. Upon examination of the putative GSCL promoter, we found three sequence elements with an exact match to the reverse complement of the bicoid DNA recognition motif, suggesting that GSC, or possibly GSCL itself, regulates the transcription of GSCL. Sequence analysis of the putative promoter and the coding region of GSCL was performed on the DNA template from 17 VCFS patients who did not have a detectable 22q11 deletion to identify mutations. We did not detect a mutation in this set of VCFS patients. A polymorphism was detected in codon 47 of exon 1.
Interacting selectively and non-covalently with DNA of a specific nucleotide composition, e.g. GC-rich DNA binding, or with a specific sequence motif or type of DNA e.g. promotor binding or rDNA binding.
Interacting selectively and non-covalently with a specific DNA sequence in order to modulate transcription. The transcription factor may or may not also interact selectively with a protein or macromolecular complex.
The vast majority of patients with DiGeorge syndrome (DGS) and velocardiofacial syndrome (VCFS) have deletions of chromosomal region 22q11.2. These patients exhibit broad and variable phenotypes that include conotruncal cardiac defects, hypocalcemia, palatal and facial anomalies and developmental delay. Most of these abnormalities are thought to be due to defects in neural crest cell migration or differentiation. We have identified a homeobox-containing gene, Goosecoid-like (GSCL), that is in the region within 22q11 that is deleted most consistently in patients with DGS/VCFS. The GSCL gene is expressed in a limited number of adult tissues as well as in early human development, and is a member of a family of homeobox genes in vertebrates that includes Goosecoid and GSX. In this report, we present functional studies of the GSCL protein and determine the expression pattern of the GSCL gene in mouse embryos. We demonstrate that GSCL exhibits DNA sequence-specific recognition of sites bound by the Drosophila anterior morphogen, Bicoid. Several of these sites (TAATCCC) were found in the 5' upstream region of the GSCL gene itself, and we present evidence suggesting that GSCL might regulate its own transcription. In situ hybridization revealed that the mouse ortholog of GSCL, Gscl, is expressed in the brain starting as early as embryonic day 9.5, and expression continues in adults. This expression pattern is consistent with GSCL having either an indirect role in the development of neural crest-derived structures or a direct role in a subset of the phenotype observed in DGS/VCFS, such as learning disorders or psychiatric disease.
Am. J. Hum. Genet. 60, 1194-1201 (1997)[PubMed:9150167]
The majority of patients with DiGeorge syndrome (DGS) and velocardiofacial syndrome (VCFS) have deletions of chromosomal region 22q11.2. The abnormalities observed in these patients include conotruncal cardiac defects, thymic hypoplasia or aplasia, hypocalcemia, and characteristic facial features. To understand the genetic basis of these disorders, we have characterized genes within the region that is most consistently deleted in patients with DGS/VCFS, the minimal DiGeorge critical region (MDGCR). In this report, we present the identification and characterization of a novel gene, GSCL, in the MDGCR, with homology to the homeodomain family of transcription factors. Further, we provide evidence that this gene is expressed in a limited number of adult tissues as well as in early human development. The identification of GSCL required a genomic sequence-based approach because of its restricted expression and high GC content. The early expression, together with the known role of homeobox-containing proteins in development, make GSCL an outstanding candidate for some of the abnormalities seen in DGS/VCFS.
The vast majority of patients with DiGeorge syndrome (DGS) and velocardiofacial syndrome (VCFS) have deletions of chromosomal region 22q11.2. These patients exhibit broad and variable phenotypes that include conotruncal cardiac defects, hypocalcemia, palatal and facial anomalies and developmental delay. Most of these abnormalities are thought to be due to defects in neural crest cell migration or differentiation. We have identified a homeobox-containing gene, Goosecoid-like (GSCL), that is in the region within 22q11 that is deleted most consistently in patients with DGS/VCFS. The GSCL gene is expressed in a limited number of adult tissues as well as in early human development, and is a member of a family of homeobox genes in vertebrates that includes Goosecoid and GSX. In this report, we present functional studies of the GSCL protein and determine the expression pattern of the GSCL gene in mouse embryos. We demonstrate that GSCL exhibits DNA sequence-specific recognition of sites bound by the Drosophila anterior morphogen, Bicoid. Several of these sites (TAATCCC) were found in the 5' upstream region of the GSCL gene itself, and we present evidence suggesting that GSCL might regulate its own transcription. In situ hybridization revealed that the mouse ortholog of GSCL, Gscl, is expressed in the brain starting as early as embryonic day 9.5, and expression continues in adults. This expression pattern is consistent with GSCL having either an indirect role in the development of neural crest-derived structures or a direct role in a subset of the phenotype observed in DGS/VCFS, such as learning disorders or psychiatric disease.
A reference proteome is a set of protein sequences derived from a complete proteome which constitutes a defined standard for a particular user community. Reference proteomes are manually defined according to a number of criteria. They cover the proteomes of well- studied model organisms and other proteomes of interest for biomedical and biotechnological research. Reference proteomes have been selected to provide broad coverage of the tree of life, and constitute a representative cross-section of the taxonomic diversity to be found within UniProtKB.
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