Over the course of millions of years, with the slow and deliberate pace at which Nature works, a unique developmental feature arose within our early vertebrate ancestors. As morphological complexity increased through successive waves of mutation and selection, cells that could travel out from the neural plate and differentiate into various structures of the developing embryo became the precursor to the cells of the neural crest. This cell group can be found in the African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis), humans, and all known vertebrates today. The information providing for the action of these cells, as with any cell, derives from the organism’s genetic material. One gene that works in tandem with many others in the migration of the neural crest cells is termed TFAP2c or transcription factor AP-2 gamma.
This gene first is expressed during the late gastrula to early neurula stages within the cells of the ectoderm. Cells with a high degree of TFAP2c expression are fated to give rise to melanoctyes, enteric ganglia, and craniofacial bone and cartilage. The role of this gene within cells of the neural crest is that of a transcription factor, binding to DNA sequences to enhance the transcription of other genes into RNA and subsequent translation into proteins. In this way, the TFAP2c gene, and the protein it codes for, acts as a regulatory force to control the migration of neural cells. Malfunction in the human equivalent of TFAP2c has been linked to mammary carcinoma and seminoma.
This gene, as with many in the neural crest, serves as a testament to the ancestral link that exists between our model organism, Xenopus laevis, and humans. The conservancy of this gene and its function between its existence within the African clawed frog and its human ortholog demonstrates its significance to the proper growth of vertebrate species. By investigating this genetic commonality that we share with this frog species, we may uncover knowledge of our own development and the integral role that TFAP2c plays within it.
Resources on TFAP2c:
This gene first is expressed during the late gastrula to early neurula stages within the cells of the ectoderm. Cells with a high degree of TFAP2c expression are fated to give rise to melanoctyes, enteric ganglia, and craniofacial bone and cartilage. The role of this gene within cells of the neural crest is that of a transcription factor, binding to DNA sequences to enhance the transcription of other genes into RNA and subsequent translation into proteins. In this way, the TFAP2c gene, and the protein it codes for, acts as a regulatory force to control the migration of neural cells. Malfunction in the human equivalent of TFAP2c has been linked to mammary carcinoma and seminoma.
This gene, as with many in the neural crest, serves as a testament to the ancestral link that exists between our model organism, Xenopus laevis, and humans. The conservancy of this gene and its function between its existence within the African clawed frog and its human ortholog demonstrates its significance to the proper growth of vertebrate species. By investigating this genetic commonality that we share with this frog species, we may uncover knowledge of our own development and the integral role that TFAP2c plays within it.
Resources on TFAP2c:
- Zhang, Y. L., Ting; Sargent, Thomas D. (2006). Expression of TFAP2b and TFAP2c genes in Xenopus laevis. Gene Expression Patterns, 6(2006), 589-595.
- Eckert, D. B., Sandra; Weber, Susanne; Jager, Richard; Schorle, Hubert. (2005). The AP-2 family of transcription factors. Genome Biology, 6(246).
- http://www.xenbase.org/gene/showgene.do?method=displayGeneSummary&geneId=488670&tabId=0