High impact information on Six4

• We propose that D-Six4 directly or indirectly regulates genes involved in the cell recognition events required for myoblast fusion and the germline:soma interaction [1].
• We show by mutant analysis that D-Six4 is required for the normal development of muscle and the mesodermal component of the gonad [1].
• In contrast, Six1 deficiency alone caused defects in mesonephric-tubule formation, and these defects were not exacerbated in the Six1/Six4-deficient mesonephros [2].
• The Six1/Six4-deficient mice exhibited more severe kidney phenotypes than the Six1-deficient mice; kidney and ureter agenesis was observed in all the neonates examined [2].
• Six1 and Six4 are the mammalian homologs of Drosophila sine oculis, and they are coexpressed in the nephrogenic mesenchyme [2].

Anatomical context of Six4

• These results highlight the fact that Six1 and Six4 have collaborative functions in the metanephros but not in the mesonephros [2].
• Similar to so, both D-Six3 and D-Six4 are initially expressed at the blastoderm stage in narrow regions of the prospective head and during later stages in specific groups of head midline neurectodermal cells [3].

References