Expression of a quail bHLH transcription factor is associated with adrenergic development in trunk neural crest cultures.

1. Expression of chick type 1 basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor GbHLH1.4 persists in several embryonic regions, including some where neural crest cells differentiate (Helms, J. A., et al., Mech. Dev. 48:93-108, 1994.) We have cloned portions of the quail homologue (designated QbHLH) in order to investigate its expression and possible function in quail neural crest cultures. Three sets of polymerase chain reaction primers were used to amplify cDNA sequences encompassing much of the coding region outside the bHLH domain. Two of the primer sets amplified a single band from all quail and chick tissues tested. The third set of primers produced two bands, differing by a 72-base pair insertion, both of which which were present in all tissues assayed. 2. The quail sequences showed greater than 97% nucleotide identity with GbHLH1.4. In situ hybridization of cultured quail neural crest cells showed expression in some, but not all, cells throughout the first 2 weeks in culture. 3. Tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity correlated particularly well with QbHLH expression, although substantial subpopulations of cells with other phenotypes also express QbHLH. 4. In some cells, only limited regions of the cytoplasm showed hybridization with QbHLH probes, indicating possible mRNA localization. 5. The expression of QbHLH in neural crest cultures is consistent with its role as a relatively widely expressed helix-loop-helix dimerization partner and suggests that it may function by interacting with cell type-specific partners to regulate expression of genes involved in the development and maintenance of several phenotypes.