Expression of the ankyrin repeat domain 6 gene (Ankrd6) during mouse brain development

The structure and developmental expression pattern of the ankyrin repeat domain 6 (Ankrd6) gene, initially named Diversin, were studied in the mouse. Ankrd6 is transcribed as a 5.8-kb mRNA composed of 15 exons that encodes a 712 amino acid protein with 6 ankyrin repeats. Ankrd6 is expressed prominently in the developing brain from E12 to maturity, suggesting a role during brain development. In embryos, expression is maximal in ventricular zones of neuronal proliferation and intermediate zones of neuronal migration and extends to postmigratory neuronal fields during the postnatal period. In the mature brain, the Ankrd6-related signal is highest in cortical layer II, granule cells of the dentate gyrus, olfactory granules and a subset of Purkinje cells in the vestibulocerebellum. Ankrd6 is related to the Drosophila gene Diego, which interacts with Flamingo in the regulation of planar cell polarity (Feiguin et al., 2001). However, the canvas of Ankrd6 expression does not match closely that of the three mouse Flamingo homologs, Celsr1-3 (Tissir et al., 2002). These data suggest that Ankrd6 may be involved in brain development in interaction with Celsr/Flamingo but also other signaling pathways.