Journal article
Desert hedgehog is a mammal-specific gene expressed during testicular and ovarian development in a marsupial
WA O'Hara, WJ Azar, RR Behringer, MB Renfree, AJ Pask
BMC Developmental Biology | Published : 2011
Abstract
Abstract. Background: Desert hedgehog (DHH) belongs to the hedgehog gene family that act as secreted intercellular signal transducers. DHH is an essential morphogen for normal testicular development and function in both mice and humans but is not present in the avian lineage. Like other hedgehog proteins, DHH signals through the patched (PTCH) receptors 1 and 2. Here we examine the expression and protein distribution of DHH, PTCH1 and PTCH2 in the developing testes of a marsupial mammal (the tammar wallaby) to determine whether DHH signalling is a conserved factor in gonadal development in all therian mammals. Results: DHH, PTCH1 and PTCH2 were present in the marsupial genome and highly cons..
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Awarded by National Institutes of Health
Funding Acknowledgements
We thank Drs Chai-an Mao, Jenny L. Harry and Deanne J. Whitworth for help with the initial cloning of the DHH gene in the tammar wallaby. We also thank Kerry Martin and Scott Brownlees for assistance with the animals. This study was supported by The University of Connecticut Faculty Large Grant, a National Health and Medical Research Council project grant to MBR and AJP, an R D Wright Fellowship to AJP, the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Kangaroo Genomics, a Federation Fellowship to MBR and an NIH research grant (HD30284) to RRB. There is no financial or other potential conflict of interest.