A novel gene encoding a ferredoxin reductase-like protein expressed in the neuroectoderm in Xenopus neurula.
In an attempt to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of early neural development in Xenopus laevis, we identified, using a differential display method, several genes that are induced after Concanavalin A treatment in the animal caps prepared from stage 9 blastula. One such gene was found to encode a possible type IIIa membrane protein of 66.2 kDa sharing similarities with several prokaryotic and eukaryotic redox enzymes, hence the putative product was named Nfrl, neurula-specific ferredoxin reductase-like protein. Northern blot analysis confirmed that the expression of the Nfrl gene is up-regulated around the neurula stage, and is much lower in embryos of earlier stages and in adult tissues. The temporally limited expression of this gene implies neurula- and early larva-specific redox reactions of certain substrates, the nature of which remains to be elucidated.
Hatada
S
S
Institute of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Japan.
Kinoshita
M
M
Sakumoto
H
H
Nishihara
R
R
Noda
M
M
Asashima
M
M
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D004475:Ectoderm / Q000378:metabolism; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000201:enzymology; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D014981:Xenopus; D029867:Xenopus Proteins
D018076:DNA, Complementary; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; C107932:Nfr1 protein, Xenopus; D029867:Xenopus Proteins