minibrain (mnb), a protein kinase family required for normal postembryonic neurogenesis

Comparison of brain size and gross brain structure of wild type (WT) and minibrain (mnb) flies. Vertical paraffin sections (using the collar method). Note that the head capsule in wild type and mutant is of equal size (see eye to eye distance), while the brain of the mutant is significantly reduced. cc = central complex; me = medulla; lo = lobula.

minibrain (mnb) encodes a new, cell type-specific serine-threonine protein kinase family that is expressed and required in neuroblast proliferation centers during postembryonic neurogenesis (s. Tejedor et al. 1995). The mnb kinases share extensive sequence similarities with kinases involved in the regulation of cell division, like YAK1 (yeast) and CDK2 (human) .

Literature

  • Fischbach K.-F. und Lyly-Huenerberg I. (1983). Genetic dissection of the anterior optic tract. Cell Tissue Res. 231, 551-563

  • Fischbach K.-F., Boschert U., Barleben F., Hoube B., and Rau T. (1987). New alleles of structural brain mutants of Drosophila melanogaster derived from a dysgenic cross. J. Neurogenetics 4, 126-128.

  • Hoube B. and Fischbach K.-F. (1992). Additive gene action on the fibre number in the anterior optic tract of Drosophila melanogaster. J. Neurogenetics 8, 115-123

  • Tejedor F, Zhu XR, Kaltenbach E, Ackermann A, Baumann A, Canal I, Heisenberg M, Fischbach KF, and Pongs O (1995). minibrain: A new protein kinase family involved in postembryonic neurogenesis in Drosophila. Neuron, 14, 287-301

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