Comparative expression analysis of the MAGED genes during embryogenesis and brain development.

The MAGED gene subfamily contains three genes in mouse and four in human. The MAGED1, D2, and D3 proteins are highly conserved between mouse and human, whereas paralogues are less conserved between each other. This finding suggests that each MAGED protein exerts a distinct function. To get a better insight into their physiological roles, we have analyzed their expression patterns during embryogenesis and brain development. In the mouse, Maged3 expression is restricted to the central nervous system where it was mostly detected in postmitotic neurons. Maged2 is mainly expressed in tissues of mesodermal origin. The expression pattern of Maged1 roughly summarizes that of Maged2 and Maged3; however, contrary to that of Maged3, it includes the proliferative zones of the nervous system. We observed a discrepancy between Maged1 expression levels of RNA and protein, suggesting that its expression is regulated at a posttranscriptional level during the mouse development.