Six9 (Optx2), a new member of the Six gene family of transcription factors, is expressed at early stages of vertebrate ocular and pituitary development

The Drosophila gene sine oculis (so) is a nuclear homeoprotein, which is required for eye development. Several homologues of so have been found in vertebrates. We report here a detailed expression analysis in chick and mouse of Six9 (Optx2), a novel gene of the Six/sine oculis family closely related to Six3. Six9 (Optx2) is first expressed at presomitic stages in the head-fold, both in the neural plate and in the underlying axial mesoderm. Thereafter, Six9 (Optx2) is strongly expressed in the presumptive and differentiating neural retina and ventral optic stalk, in the olfactory placodes, in the hypothalamus and in the pituitary gland. This expression pattern largely overlaps with that of Six3, but several differences exist between the expression domain of the two genes. At presomitic stages, the posterior boundary of Six3 expression is at the same axial level both in the prechordal plate and in the overlying neural plate. In contrast, Six9 (Optx2) expression in the prechordal plate extends more caudal to that of the neural plate, occupying a more restricted V-shaped territory. Similarly, during the early events of eye patterning, Six3 is first expressed in the entire optic vesicle and lens placode. Only later does its expression become confined to the prospective and differentiating neural retina. Conversely, Six9 (Optx2) is never observed in the lens placode of either chick and mouse, and from early stages of optic vesicle development, Six9 (Optx2) transcripts are restrained to the prospective ventral neural retina and optic stalks.