First published online March 24, 2005
Development 132, 806e (2005)
© The Company of Biologists Limited
Aristaless and mental retardation
The conserved Aristaless-related homeodomain protein ARX is essential for
neuronal development in vertebrates. ARX mutations underlie multiple forms of
human X-linked mental retardation and Arx null mice have decreased
neural precursor proliferation and defects in GABAergic interneuron
differentiation. To determine the precise role of ARX in neuronal development,
Melkman and Sengupta are studying the C. elegans homologue of
Arx, called alr-1 (see p.
1935). They report
that, similar to its Drosophila orthologue, alr-1 acts in a
pathway with the LIM1 orthologue lin-11 to specify a subset of
chemosensory neurons. In addition, alr-1 is required for the
differentiation of a GABAergic motoneuron subtype. These data suggest that,
like other homeodomain proteins, some functions of ARX are conserved across
species. Consequently, future studies of the simple nervous system of C.
elegans may yield insights into the role of ARX in human neuronal
development.
Related articles in Development:
- Regulation of chemosensory and GABAergic motor neuron development by the C. elegans Aristaless/Arx homolog alr-1
- Tali Melkman and Piali Sengupta
Development 2005 132: 1935-1949.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
