In vivo consequences of deleting EGF repeats 8–12 including the ligand binding domain of mouse Notch1

摘要

BackgroundNotch signaling is highly conserved in the metazoa and is critical for many cell fate decisions. Notch activation occurs following ligand binding to Notch extracellular domain. In vitro binding assays have identified epidermal growth factor (EGF) repeats 11 and 12 as the ligand binding domain of Drosophila Notch. Here we show that an internal deletion in mouse Notch1 of EGF repeats 8–12, including the putative ligand binding domain (lbd), is an inactivating mutation in vivo. We also show that maternal and zygotic Notch1^lbd/lbd mutant embryos develop through gastrulation to mid-gestation.