Winged helix proteins have critical roles in a variety of developmental processes. HSPC280 encodes a small non-typical winged-helix protein which shares similarity with a protein-protein interaction domain found in the proteins of the actin-binding Rho- activating protein family. During mouse embryogenesis HSPC280 expression is restricted mainly in the proliferating cells of the subventricular zone of the ganglionic eminences while in the adult it is detected in the subventricular zone and in the dentate gyrus. HSPC280 is involved in the mechanisms controlling the proliferation of neuronal progenitors, as its overexpression in vitro inhibits neuronal differentiation. In this study we used in situ hybridization to analyze the expression of HSPC280 in human embryo brain development from GW 12 - GW 22 and compared it with the expression in the developing mouse brain. Our results show that in the developing human brain HSPC280 expression is detected in proliferating cells of the telencephalon, yet its expression domain is expanded and includes the ventricular zone of the ganglionic eminences as well as the cortical neuroepithelium. As HSPC280 is implicated in neural proliferation these findings may reflect differences in the mechanisms regulating telencephalon size and complexity between mouse and human brain.
Democritus University of Thrace
