Scientific background: |
Transcription factor HES-1, also called HRY or HES-1 is a protein that is encoded by the HES1 gene. This gene belongs to a family of basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) proteins that are essential for neurogenesis, myogenesis, hematopoiesis, and sex determination. This gene is mapped to 3q29. It is a transcriptional repressor of genes that require a bHLH protein for their transcription. The protein has a particular type of basic domain that contains a helix interrupting protein that binds to the N-box rather than the canonical E-box. This gene may act as a negative regulator of myogenesis by inhibiting the functions of MYOD1 and ASH1. It may play a role in a functional FA core complex response to DNA cross-link damage, being required for the stability and nuclear localization of FA core complex proteins, as well as for FANCD2 monoubiquitination in response to DNA damage. |
References: |
1. Fukuda, A., Kawaguchi, Y., Furuyama, K., Kodama, S., Horiguchi, M., Kuhara, T., Koizumi, M., Boyer, D. F., Fujimoto, K., Doi, R., Kageyama, R., Wright, C. V. E., Chiba, T.Ectopic pancreas formation in Hes1-knockout mice reveals plasticity of endodermal progenitors of the gut, bile duct, and pancreas. J. Clin. Invest. 116: 1484-1493, 2006.
2. Wendorff, A. A., Koch, U., Wunderlich, F. T., Wirth, S., Dubey, C., Bruning, J. C., MacDonald, H. R., Radtke, F. Hes1 is a critical but context-dependent mediator of canonical Notch signaling in lymphocyte development and transformation. Immunity 33: 671-684, 2010. |