Identification, characterization, and expression pattern of the chicken EKLF gene

✍ Scribed by Andrew P. Chervenak; Priyadarshi Basu; Masahiro Shin; Latasha C. Redmond; Guojun Sheng; Joyce A. Lloyd

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2006
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 895 KB
• Volume: 235
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1058-8388
• DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.20829

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

EKLF/KLF1 was the first of the Krüppel‐like factors (KLFs) to be identified in mammals and plays an important role in primitive and definitive erythropoiesis. Here, we identify and characterize EKLF in the chicken (cEKLF). The predicted amino acid sequence of the zinc finger region of cEKLF is at least 87.7% similar to mammalian EKLF proteins and is 98.8% and 95% similar to the EKLF orthologues in Xenopus and zebrafish, respectively. During early embryonic development, cEKLF expression is seen in the posterior primitive streak, which gives rise to hematopoietic cells, and then in the blood islands and in circulating blood cells. cEKLF mRNA is expressed in blood cells but not in brain later in chicken embryonic development. cEKLF mRNA is increased in definitive compared with primitive erythropoiesis. The conserved sequence and expression pattern of cEKLF suggests that its function is similar to its orthologues in mammals, Xenopus, and zebrafish. Developmental Dynamics 235:1933–1940, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.