High impact information on Myc

• Xenopus Id3 is required downstream of Myc for the formation of multipotent neural crest progenitor cells [1].
• Although the molecular mechanisms governing this process have yet to be fully elucidated, recent work has suggested that Myc functions to prevent premature cell fate decisions in neural crest forming regions of the early ectoderm [1].
• Despite the demonstrated antagonistic role of Mad proteins in the regulation of Myc activity, we show that the over-expression of Xmad4 in the cleavage-stage embryo has no detectable phenotypic effect, suggesting that Myc function is dispensable during early embryonic development [2].
• Members of the Mad family of transcription factors are thought to modulate the cell proliferative effects of the c-myc proto-oncogene by binding to Max, directly competing with the Myc protein for both heterodimerization and DNA binding [2].
• Our results demonstrate the presence of Xenopus Max throughout frog development, raising the possibility that Myc and Max could function as a complex even during early embryogenesis [3].

References