NumbL is essential for Xenopus primary neurogenesis.

Background: Members of the vertebrate Numb family of cell fate determinants serve multiple functions throughout early embryogenesis, including an essential role in the development of the nervous system. The Numb proteins interact with various partner proteins and correspondingly participate in multiple cellular activities, including inhibition of the Notch pathway.

Results: Here, we describe the expression characteristics of Numb and Numblike (NumbL) during Xenopus development and characterize the function of NumbL during primary neurogenesis.

Comparative expression analysis of the neurogenins in Xenopus tropicalis and Xenopus laevis.

The Neurogenin (Ngn 1-3) family of proneural basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors are key regulators of vertebrate neurogenesis. In the developing vertebrate nervous system, the Ngns are essential for the commitment to a neuronal fate and participate in the specification of neuronal cell-type identity. Xenopus laevis is widely used as a model system to study the early events of vertebrate neurogenesis, however, only Ngnr-1, which is most closely related to the mammalian Ngn2, has been described and characterized.