title: Members of the ErbB receptor tyrosine kinases are involved in germ cell development in fetal mouse gonads.
abstract: To isolate the genes involved in mouse primordial germ cell (PGC) development, we carried out subtraction cDNA cloning between PGC-derived embryonic germ (EG) cells and inner cell mass-derived embryonic stem cells. Among the genes preferentially expressed in EG cells, we found a gene encoding a receptor tyrosine kinase ErbB3. By in situ hybridization and immunohistochemical staining, the expression of ErbB3 as well as that of ErbB2, a coreceptor for ErbB3, was detected in PGCs in genital ridges at 12.5 dpc (days postcoitum). The expression was, however, downregulated at 14.5 dpc when the PGCs underwent growth cessation. Neuregulin-beta, a ligand for ErbB2 and ErbB3, was also expressed in genital ridges. In addition, a recombinant Neuregulin-beta enhanced the number of PGCs in 12.5-dpc embryos in culture. Taken together, these observations suggest that ErbB signaling controls the growth or survival of PGCs in genital ridges.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, Institute of Development, Aging, and Cancer, Tohoku University, 4-1, Seiryo-machi, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8575, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Toyoda-Ohno
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Obinata
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Matsui
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D005260:Female; D005854:Germ Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D006066:Gonads / Q000196:embryology*; D051379:Mice; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D020880:Neuregulins / Q000502:physiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D020893:Receptor, ErbB-3 / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D020880:Neuregulins; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D020893:Receptor, ErbB-3