Figure 4. Mice lacking either Bhlhb5 or Prdm8 have a common molecular profile.

Affymetrix microarray-based gene profiling was performed to identify genes that are misexpressed in the dorsal telencephalon of either Bhlhb5^−/− or Prdm8^−/− mice at P0. Each of the mutant strains was compared to its respective littermate control, using four independent biological replicates per genotype, and observations were validated by quantitative qPCR. A) Bhlhb5 mRNA is significantly upregulated in Prdm8^−/− mice. B) Prdm8 mRNA is significantly upregulated in Bhlhb5^−/− mice. C – F) Common genes are similarly misregulated in both Bhlhb5^−/− and Prdm8^−/− mice, including Antxr2 (C), Connexin36 (D), NMDA3A (E) and Paqr3 (F). Data are presented as mean +/− SEM of biological replicates and * indicates significant difference relative to controls (p < 0.05, t-test). Of note, most of the genes that are misregulated in Bhlhb5 mutant mice at P0 (i.e., as illustrated here) are different that those that are misregulated from E13.5 – E17.5 (Figure S1), suggesting that Bhlhb5 may regulate different genes at different times during development. Also see Figure S6 for analysis of possible cross-regulation of Bhlhb5 and Prdm8 at the protein level.