Burke LJ et al. (2002), Molecular cloning and expression of the chromat...

XB-ART-7463

Mech Dev 2002 Apr 01;1131:95-8. doi: 10.1016/s0925-4773(02)00005-9.

Show Gene links Show Anatomy links

Molecular cloning and expression of the chromatin insulator protein CTCF in Xenopus laevis.

Burke LJ , Hollemann T , Pieler T , Renkawitz R .

???displayArticle.abstract???
The zinc finger protein CTCF has been shown to mediate multiple functions connected to gene repression. Transcriptional inhibition as well as enhancer blocking and chromatin insulation are documented for CTCF in men, mice and chickens. Additionally, hCTCF has been linked to epigenetics and disease. In line with these basic cellular functions, CTCF has been found to be expressed in every cell type and adult tissue tested and has thus been deemed an ubiquitous protein. Here, we report the identification of the CTCF homologue from Xenopus and the analysis of the spatio-temporal expression of xCTCF during embryogenesis. Within the DNA binding domain, xCTCF is virtually identical to other identified vertebrate CTCF proteins. Homology also extends to other conserved regions that are important for CTCF function. Although xCTCF mRNA is present during all stages of early Xenopus development, a remarkable increase in expression is observed in neuronal tissues. Early in development, xCTCF is highly expressed in the neural plate and later in the neural tube and developing brain. By tailbud stage, elevated expression is also seen in the developing sensory organs of the head. This is the first detailed description of the expression pattern of a vertebrate insulator protein during embryogenesis.

???displayArticle.pubmedLink??? 11900981
???displayArticle.link??? Mech Dev

Species referenced: Xenopus laevis
Genes referenced: ctcf nppa

???attribute.lit??? ???displayArticles.show???

	Fig. 3. Spatial expression of xCTCF during Xenopus development. Whole-mount in situ hybridization was performed with xCTCF antisense RNA and staged Xenopus embryos. Nieuwkoop-Faber stages of embryogenesis are indicated. (A) Anterior view of stage 14; (B) dorsal view of stage 26; and (C) lateral view of stage 38. (C′) details as indicated by the box with broken lines in (C). (D, E) transversal vibratome sections as indicated by red dashed lines across the embryo in (C). Abbreviations: ahc, anterior hepatic cavity; ale, anterior lens epithelium; anp, anterior neural plate; ba, branchial arches; cmz, ciliary marginal zone; den, diencephalon; ev, eye vesicle; fg, frontal gland; hb, hindbrain; hm, head mesenchyme; inl, inner nuclear layer; isv, intersomitic veins; mb, midbrain; nc, notochord; np, nasal placode; nt, neural tube; ov, otic vesicle; and vz, ventricular zone.
	Fig. 2. Temporal expression of xCTCF during Xenopus development. The expression of xCTCF was analyzed using RNA isolated from embryos at the indicated Nieuwkoop-Faber stages ( Nieuwkoop and Faber, 1967) by RT-PCR. Histone H4 was used as an internal control. Lane W, no RNA.
	ctcf (CCCTC-binding factor (zinc finger protein) gene expression in Xenopus laevis embryo, assayed via in situ hybridization, NF stage 14, lateral view, anterior left, dorsal up.
	ctcf (CCCTC-binding factor (zinc finger protein)) gene expression in Xenopus laevis embryo, assayed via in situ hybridization, NF stage 26, lateral view, anterior left, dorsal up.