Mohawk homeobox gene is a critical regulator of tendon differentiation

Mohawk (Mkx) is a member of the Three Amino acid Loop Extension superclass of atypical homeobox genes that is expressed in developing tendons. To investigate the in vivo functions of Mkx, we generated Mkx⁻/⁻ mice. These mice had hypoplastic tendons throughout the body. Despite the reduction in tendo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 2010-06, Vol.107 (23), p.10538-10542
Main Authors: Ito, Yoshiaki, Toriuchi, Naoya, Yoshitaka, Teruhito, Ueno-Kudoh, Hiroe, Sato, Tempei, Yokoyama, Shigetoshi, Nishida, Keiichiro, Akimoto, Takayuki, Takahashi, Michiko, Miyaki, Shigeru, Asahara, Hiroshi
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Achilles tendon
Amino acids
Animals
Biological Sciences
Cell Differentiation
Collagen
Collagen Type I - biosynthesis
Collagens
Developmental biology
Embryos
Gene expression
Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
Genes
Homeodomain Proteins - metabolism
Knockout mice
Lymphocytes
Mice
Mice, Inbred C57BL
Mice, Knockout
Microscopy, Electron, Transmission
Rodents
Solar fibrils
Tendons
Tendons - cytology
Tendons - embryology
Tendons - growth & development
Tendons - metabolism
Tensile Strength
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Summary:Mohawk (Mkx) is a member of the Three Amino acid Loop Extension superclass of atypical homeobox genes that is expressed in developing tendons. To investigate the in vivo functions of Mkx, we generated Mkx⁻/⁻ mice. These mice had hypoplastic tendons throughout the body. Despite the reduction in tendon mass, the cell number in tail tendon fiber bundles was similar between wild-type and Mkx⁻/⁻ mice. We also observed small collagen fibril diameters and a down-regulation of type I collagen in Mkx⁻/⁻ tendons. These data indicate that Mkx plays a critical role in tendon differentiation by regulating type I collagen production in tendon cells.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.1000525107