Pigment cell-specific expression of the tyrosinase gene in ascidians has a different regulatory mechanism from vertebrates.

Journal article

Tyrosinase is the key enzyme required for the synthesis of melanin pigments. Sequence comparison and functional analysis of the 5' upstream regions of vertebrate tyrosinase genes have revealed the importance of conserved E-box motifs in regulating their specific expression in pigment cells, optic cup-derived retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and neural crest-derived melanocytes. In ascidians (more basal protochordates), two pigment cells that resemble vertebrate RPE cells are formed and specif...

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Authors: Toyoda, R; Sato, S; Ikeo, K; Gojobori, T; Numakunai, T

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: Gene
• Volume: 259
• Issue: 1-2
• Pages: 159-170
• Publication date: 2000-12-01
• DOI: 10.1016/s0378-1119(00)00433-9
• EISSN: 1879-0038
• ISSN: 0378-1119
• Language: English
• Keywords: Amino Acid Sequence; Melanocytes; Enzyme Precursors; Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid; Vertebrates; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; Sequence Alignment; Base Sequence; Lac Operon; Conserved Sequence; Monophenol Monooxygenase; Promoter Regions, Genetic; Pigment Epithelium of Eye; Urochordata; DNA; Molecular Sequence Data; Animals; Recombinant Fusion Proteins; Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; Sequence Deletion