Functional dissection of XDppa2/4 structural domains in Xenopus development
Autor: | Franz Oswald, Doreen Siegel, Ying Cao, Maximilian Schuff, Walter Knöchel |
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Rok vydání: | 2009 |
Předmět: |
Pluripotent Stem Cells
Embryology Embryo Nonmammalian Neural fold formation Morpholino Xenopus Molecular Sequence Data Apoptosis Xenopus Proteins Biology Injections Mice SOX2 Animals Humans Amino Acid Sequence Neurulation In Situ Hybridization Genetics Regulation of gene expression Gastrulation Embryogenesis Gene Expression Regulation Developmental biology.organism_classification Protein Structure Tertiary Chromatin Protein Transport Phenotype Gene Knockdown Techniques Gene Deletion HeLa Cells Subcellular Fractions Developmental Biology |
Zdroj: | Mechanisms of Development. 126:974-989 |
ISSN: | 0925-4773 |
DOI: | 10.1016/j.mod.2009.09.007 |
Popis: | The maintenance of pluripotency in mammalian embryonic stem cells depends upon the expression of regulatory genes like Oct3/4 and Sox2. While homologues of these genes are also characterized in non-mammalian vertebrates, like birds, amphibians and fish, existence and function of developmental pluripotency associated genes (Dppa) in lower vertebrates have not yet been reported. Here we describe a Dppa2/4-like gene, XDppa2/4, in Xenopus. The protein contains a SAP domain and a conserved C-terminal region. Overexpression of XDppa2/4, murine Dppa2 or Dppa4 produces similar phenotypes (defects in blastopore closure), while injection of XDppa2/4 morpholino generates a loss of blastopore closure and neural fold formation. Embryos die up to tailbud stage. mDppa2 (but not mDppa4) rescues blastopore closure and neurulation defects caused by XDppaMO, but does not prevent subsequent death of embryos. Although XDppa2/4 exhibits a Dppa-like expression pattern and is indispensable for embryogenesis, analyses of various marker genes make its role as a pluripotency factor rather unlikely. Both the gain and loss of function effects until the end of neurulation are caused by the conserved C-terminal region but not by the SAP domain. The SAP domain is required for association of XDppa2/4 to chromatin and for embryonic survival at later stages of development suggesting epigenetic programming events. |
Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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