OC-3 Rabbit Polyclonal Antibody

The history of the Onecut (Oc) family of transcription factors begins, as does the history of many transcription factors, in Drosophila. Work carried out by Jan and colleagues discovered that mutations in the cut locus in Drosophila resulted in the transformation of external sensory organs into chordotonal organs during embryonic development. This unique family of transcription factors has an important role in the development of several different organs. The endodermally-derived hepatobiliary tract as well as the pancreas both rely on the Oc factors for proper differentiation of many mature cell types. A role for the Oc factors in neuronal development has been identified in many model systems indicating an important conserved function. While the discovery of the cut locus in Drosophila indicated its function in differentiation of the external sensory organs, the protein produced from that locus in fact contained three cut repeats. A paralog of mammalian Oc1 was identified in Drosophila named D-Onecut, role which has a unique in regulation of photoreceptor cell differentiation. Indeed, Oc orthologs regulate neural cell specification and differentiation in ascidians, zebrafish, Xenopus and C. elegans. Thus, the various cell types of the nervous system may represent the broadest and most diverse population where the Oc factors regulate cell lineage specification and differentiation.