Fer3 Like Protein (FERD3L)

Nato3 is an evolutionarily conserved bHLH transcription factor expressed in the CNS of Drosophila and mouse. The evolutionarily conserved basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors play important roles during development. Expression analysis revealed Nato3 transcripts in the central nervous system of both fly and mouse embryos. In the fly, Dnato3 is highly expressed in 9-15h embryos in a few ventral nerve cord cells and a subset of neurons in the brain. In mouse, the MNato3 transcripts were detected from embryonic day 7 until 5 weeks postnatally, with highest levels in the midbrain, thalamus, hypothalamus, pons, and medulla oblongata. In contrast to the brain, expression in the spinal cord was limited to the embryonic stages.N-Twist represents a novel negative regulator of neurogenesis.