Mice lacking the 68-amino-acid,mammal-specific N-terminal extension of WT1 develop normally and are fertile |
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Authors: | Miles Colin G Slight Joan Spraggon Lee O'Sullivan Maureen Patek Charles Hastie Nicholas D |
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Institution: | Medical Research Council Human Genetics Unit, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, United Kingdom. |
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Abstract: | Mutations in the Wilms' tumor 1 gene, WT1, cause pediatric nephroblastoma and the severe genitourinary disorders of Frasier and Denys-Drash syndromes. High levels of WT1 expression are found in the developing kidney, uterus, and testis--consistent with this finding, the WT1 knockout mouse demonstrates that WT1 is essential for normal genitourinary development. The WT1 gene encodes multiple isoforms of a zinc finger-containing protein by a combination of alternative splicing and alternative translation initiation. The use of an upstream, alternative CUG translation initiation codon specific to mammals results in the production of WT1 protein isoforms with a 68-amino-acid N-terminal extension. To determine the function in vivo of mammal-specific WT1 isoforms containing this extension, gene targeting was employed to introduce a subtle mutation into the WT1 gene. Homozygous mutant mice show a specific absence of the CUG-initiated WT1 isoforms yet develop normally to adulthood and are fertile. Detailed histological analysis revealed normal development of the genitourinary system. |
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