Bhlhb5 is expressed in the CNS and sensory organs during mouse embryonic development

Basic loop helix transcription factors have been shown to be, implicated in the specification of various cell types, and many are involved in different aspects of neural development. Here we describe the expression of Bhlhb5, belonging to the beta3 subfamily, in mouse embryos ranging from 9 to 16.5 dpc. Bhlhb5 is initially detected at 9.5 dpc in the neural tube, restricted to longitudinal ventral columns of neurons, extending from the hindbrain to the caudal spinal cord. At later stages the expression is maintained in the central nervous system, in particular in the brain, where it is detected in the outer and more mature layer of the forming cerebral cortex and in the spinal cord. In addition Bhlhb5 is expressed in the developing eye and hair follicles, in the epithelial layer of the cochlea in the developing inner, and in the nasal epithelium. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.