Achaete-scute homolog

Layden MJ, Boekhout M, Maitindale MQ. Nematostella vectensis achaete-scute homolog NvAshA regulates embryonic ectodermal neurogenesis and represents an ancient component of the metazoan neural specification pathway. Development. 2012 139 1013-22. 

Grens A, Mason E, Marsh JL, Bode HR. Evolutionary conservation of a cell fate specification gene the Hydra achaete-scute homolog has proneural activity in Drosophila. Development. 1995 121 4027-35. 

Zhou Q, Zhang T, Xu W, Yu L, Yi Y, Zhang Z. Analysis of four achaete-scute homologs in Bombyx mori reveals new viewpoints of the evolution and functions of this gene family. BMC Genet. 2008 9 24. doi 10.1186/1471-2156-9-24. 

Turner, D. L. and Weintraub, H. (1994) Expression of achaete-scute homolog 3 in Xenopus embryos converts ectodermal cells to a neural fate. Genes Dev. 8, 1434-1447. 

Allende, M. L. and Weinberg, E. S. (1994) The expression pattern of two zebrafish achaete scute homolog (ash) genes is altered in the embryonic brain of the Cyclops mutant. Devel. Bio. 166, 509-530. 

Ball DW, Azzoli CG, Baylin SB, Chi D, Sou S, Donis-Keller H, Cumaraswamy A, Borges M, Nelkin BD. Identification of human achaete-scute homolog highly expressed in neuroendocrine tumors. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1993 90 6548-6552. 

An additional approach to the distinction of Merkel cell tumors from small cell pulmonary carcinomas involves the use of antibodies to the mammalian achaete-scute complex-like protein (MASH). Although more than 80% of small cell pulmonary carcinomas are MASH positive, only 1 of 30 Merkel cell carcinomas was positive for this marker. Merkel cell carcinomas also express the K homology domain containing protein (KOC), similar to other high-grade NE malignancies. 

The protein product of the human homolog of the Drosophila achaete-scute gene provides a good example of an LCR-containing protein. When analyzed with seg, two regions of low compositional complexity were identified. Figure 8.12a shows... 

Human primitive neuroectodermal mmors (PNETs) originate frequentiy in a bone (see in Introduction), show the Ewing s sarcoma gene translocation (22ql2), express the achaete-scute gene-product proteins (mammalian achaete-scute-Uke homolog, ASH, ASCL, Mash), and have the bad reputation to be combination chemotherapy-resistant with frequent relapses. 

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