Cloning and Expression of the Zebrafish Gene; Setd8

Abstract

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is a malignant tumor of the squamous epithelium and one of the six most common cancers worldwide. Decreased Ikk1 activity is commonly associated with SCC. Ikk1 is a member of the intracellular signal transduction enzyme family and has been identified as a major regulator of differentiation in mammalian skin. The poky mutation stems from a mutation in the zebrafish homolog of Ikk1, and results in almost an identical phenotype as the loss of IKK1 in mammals. Poky mutants are deficient in EVL differentiation and exhibit defective epiboly progression.