The Mouse Snail Gene Encodes a Key Regulator of the Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition
Open accessAbstract
Snail family genes encode DNA binding zinc finger proteins that act as transcriptional repressors. Mouse embryos deficient for the Snail (Sna) gene exhibit defects in the formation of the mesoderm germ layer. In Sna(-/-) mutant embryos, a mesoderm layer forms and mesodermal marker genes are induced but the mutant mesoderm is morphologically abnormal. Lacunae form within the mesoderm layer of the mutant embryos, and cells lining these lacunae retain epithelial characteristics. These cells resemble a columnar epithelium and have apical-basal polarity, with microvilli along the apical surface and intercellular electron-dense adhesive junctions that resemble adherens junctions. E-cadherin expression is retained in the mesoderm of the Sna(-/-) embryos. These defects are strikingly similar to the gastrulation defects observed in snail-deficient Drosophila embryos, suggesting that the mechanism of repression of E-cadherin transcription by Snail family proteins may have been present in the metazoan ancestor of the arthropod and mammalian lineages.
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SNAI1-null alleles are embryonically lethal at E8.5.
“Further experiments with murine models are technically challenging, as SNAI1-null alleles are embryonically lethal at E8.5 (31,56,57).”
From Bacterial induction of Snail1 contributes to blood-brain barrier disruption (2015) · cites this paper as [56]
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- Authors
- Carver, E. A., Jiang, R., Lan, Y., Oram, K. F., & Gridley, T.
- Affiliations
- Jackson Laboratory (US)
- Corresponding author
- Gridley, Thomas
- ORCID
- Venue
- Molecular and Cellular Biology
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2001-12-01
- Volume
- 21
- Issue
- 23
- Pages
- 8184-8188
- ISSN
- 0270-7306 (ISSN-L)
- 1098-5549
- PMC
- PMC99982
- OpenAlex
- W2165987163
- Cited by
- 624
- References
- 33
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 18 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 19 · 2021: 27 · 2020: 25 · 2019: 16 · 2018: 25 · 2017: 23 · 2016: 30 · 2015: 31 · 2014: 31 · 2013: 31 · 2012: 47
- FWCI
- 6.98
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Molecular and Cellular Biology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- The Mouseion at the JAXlibrary (Jackson Laboratory) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Cancer Institute (#CA34196, CA-09217, T32CA009217, P30CA034196)
- National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (DE13078, P60DE013078)
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (HD34883, R01HD034883)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Developmental Biology and Gene Regulation
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Cancer Cells and Metastasis
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › TGF-β signaling in diseases
- Keywords
- epithelial-mesenchymal transition, mesoderm formation, E-cadherin repression, transcriptional repression, zinc finger proteins, apical-basal polarity, adherens junctions, mouse embryo, Drosophila, germ layer patterning
- MeSH terms
- Abnormalities, Multiple, Snail Family Transcription Factors, Animals, DNA-Binding Proteins, Embryo, Mammalian, Epithelium, Mesoderm, Mice, Mutant Strains, Phenotype, RNA, Messenger, Transcription Factors, Cadherins, Zinc Fingers, Mice, Knockout, Gene Targeting, Embryo Loss, Adherens Junctions, Mice
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