Template:PBB Teashirt homolog 3 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the TSHZ3 gene.[1] In mice, it is a necessary part of the neural circuitry that controls breathing.
Tshz3-knockout mice do not develop the respiratory rhythm generator (RRG) neural circuit, which is a pacemaker that produces an oscillating rhythm in the brainstem and controls autonomous breathing. The RRG neurons are present, but are abnormal. Those mice do not survive because they don't initiate breathing after birth. Tshz-3 is being studied for its relationship to infant breathing defects in humans.[2][3]
References
- ^ "Entrez Gene: TSHZ3 teashirt family zinc finger 3".
- ^ Single gene could be key to a baby's first breath, by Catherine de Lange, New Scientist, 23 July 2010
- ^ Teashirt 3 Regulates Development of Neurons Involved in Both Respiratory Rhythm and Airflow Control, Xavier Caubit et al., July 14, 2010, 30(28):9465-9476; doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1765-10.2010