Atonal Homolog 7 (ATOH7)

ATOH7 is a member of the family of basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) proteins with similarity to Drosophila 'atonal,' a proneural bHLH gene that controls photoreceptor development .

Using the mouse Atoh7/Math5 cDNA to screen a genomic library, Brown et al. (2002) isolated human ATOH7 clones. Using database sequence analysis, they identified the corresponding ATOH7 cDNA, which encodes a protein that shares high sequence homology with mouse Atoh7.Brown et al. (1998) determined that mouse Atoh7 is expressed in the developing optic cup, beginning at embryonic day 11.5, in a temporal and spatial pattern that coincides with retinal ganglion cell formation.