Developmental pattern of expression of NPDC-1 and its interaction with E2F-1 suggest a role in the control of proliferation and differentiation of neural cells

Abstract

We have previously identified NPDC-1, a gene specifically expressed in neural cells and involved in the control of cell proliferation and differentiation. In the present study, we have investigated the expression of this gene during mouse development and the interactions of the NPDC-1 protein with cell cycle regulatory proteins. The data show that NPDC-1 mRNA begins to be expressed in a variety of neural structures when the precursors enter into their terminal differentiation. They also indicate that in adult brain, the expression patterns of NPDC-1 and E2F-1 mRNA largely overlap. In addition, the NPDC-1 protein is able to interact directly with the transcription factor E2F-1 that participates in the regulation of the cell cycle, cell survival, and apoptosis. The present results suggest that NPDC-1 might be involved in the terminal differentiation and survival of neural cells and might act through interactions with E2F-1.