Massé K et al. (2004), X-epilectin: a novel epidermal fucolectin regul...

XB-ART-2589

Int J Dev Biol 2004 Dec 01;4810:1119-29. doi: 10.1387/ijdb.041892km.

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X-epilectin: a novel epidermal fucolectin regulated by BMP signalling.

Massé K , Baldwin R , Barnett MW , Jones EA .

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This paper reports the cloning and characterisation of a new posterior epidermal marker, X-epilectin, in Xenopus laevis. This gene encodes for a fucolectin, which belongs to the lectin superfamily of carbohydrate binding proteins and specifically binds fucose residues. RT-PCR and in situ hybridisation show that the expression of this gene is switched on during gastrulation and up-regulated during neurula stages and found expressed ubiquitously throughout the epidermis. From tailbud stages, the expression is limited to the dorsal posterior region of the embryo, suggesting that X-epilectin expression is regulated along anteroposterior and dorsoventral gradients during development. In the adult, X-epilectin is mainly expressed in intestinal components, kidney, spinal cord and skin. The effects of growth factors on the regulation of X-epilectin were studied. Change of the fate of animal caps into cement gland or dorsal mesoderm induces a down-regulation of X-epilectin expression in explants treated respectively with ammonium chloride and activin A. We also show that X-epilectin expression is down-regulated by Noggin and tBR and that this effect is inhibited by BMP4 over-expression, suggesting X-epilectin expression is mediated by the BMP signalling pathway.

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Species referenced: Xenopus laevis
Genes referenced: ag1 bmp4 fucolectin-e inhba nog

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	Fig. 4. Spatial expression profile of X-epilectin during development. (A) Wholemount in situ hybridisation with an X-epilectin DIG-labelled antisense RNA probe was performed on embryos from stages 10-37. No expression was detected at stage 10 (data not shown). Expression was first detected in the epidermis from stage 12 (i). At stage 16, the staining is stronger throughout the epidermis and the neural plate is totally unstained (ii). At stage 28, X-epilectin is still expressed in the epidermis but the level of its expression is higher in the posterior part of the embryo (iii). The sense probe showed no staining pattern (iv).
	Fig. 4. Spatial expression profile of X-epilectin during development. (B) Wax sections of in situ hybridised embryos. Cross-sections through a stage 16 embryo show the ubiquitous expres- sion of X-epilectin in the epidermis and the absence of internal staining, especially in the nervous system (i and vi). Enlargement of a cross- section through a stage 25 embryo shows that X-epilectin is mostly expressed in the outer layer of the epidermis (vii). Cross-sections through a single stage 34 embryo show the antero-posterior and dorso-ventral gradients of expression of X-epilectin (ii-v). Magnification: x20 except (vi) x100 and (vii) x200.
	fucolectin (x-epilectin) gene expression in Xenopus laevis embryos, NF stage 12, as assayed by in situ hybridization.
	fucolectin (x-epilectin) gene expression in Xenopus laevis embryos, NF stage 34, as assayed by in situ hybridization, cross-section view, dorsal up.
	fucolectin (x-epilectin) gene expression in Xenopus laevis embryos, NF stage 28, as assayed by in situ hybridization, lateral view, anterior left, dorsal up.