Fig. 5. The Rarb Distal enhancer specifies the late r6/r7 border and
requires inputs from Hoxb4 and Hoxd4. Panels show dorsal
views (A) or lateral views (B-H) of Rarb1lacZ transgenic embryos at
E8.5-E10.5, histochemically stained for ß-galactosidase activity. (A,B)
An E8.5 transgenic embryo (A) and a E9.5 transgenic embryo (B), indicating
that distal enhancer activity is initiated after E8.5 and by E9.5 is
restricted to the dorsal neural tube with a sharp border at r6/r7. (C,D)
Transgenic embryos treated with a single dose of RA at E9.25 and allowed to
develop in utero for either 4 hours (C) or 24 hours (D). No ectopic response
to RA is detected in either case. (E-H) E10.5 transgenic embryos carrying
various combinations of Hoxb4 and Hoxd4 loss-of-function
alleles. Strong distal enhancer activity is seen in Rarb1lacZ/+;
Hoxb4+/+; Hoxd4+/- (E), weak distal
enhancer activity in Rarb1lacZ/+; Hoxb4+/-;
Hoxd4+/- (F) and Rarb1lacZ/+;
Hoxb4+/-; Hoxd4-/- (G) and no detectable
distal enhancer activity in Rarb1lacZ/+;
Hoxb4-/-; Hoxd4-/- embryos (H).