title: RAG expression is restricted to the first year of life in the Mexican axolotl.
abstract: The developmental expression of the RAG1 gene in the Mexican axolotl hematopoietic organs was studied. RAG1 mRNAs were first detected in trunk extracts from 6-week-old larvae, and in head and trunk extracts of 8- and 9-week-old larvae. RAG1 is expressed in the thymus at all stages of development, until its natural involution after 12 months of age. In contrast, although RAG1 transcripts were present in the spleen and liver of the young larvae, they were not detected in the liver after 4.5 months and in the spleen after 8 months. No RAG1 mRNA expression was observed in the spleens or livers of 24-month-old hyperimmunized axolotls. The developmental expression of the RAG2 protein was also analyzed in axolotl thymus, spleen, and liver extracts using specific anti-RAG2 antibodies. RAG2 was readily detected at 7 months, but not in hematopoietic organs of 12- and 24-month-old axolotls. The presence of RAG1 transcripts was limited to the sub-capsular area of the thymus lobes, as detected by in situ hybridization. Discrete clusters of labeled cells were observed in the spleen sections, and a relatively large number of labeled cells were located in the hepatic peripheral hematopoietic layer of 3-month-old axolotls. The first appearance of RAG1 gene products in the axolotl hematopoietic organs is thus well correlated with the first production of rearranged T-cell and B-cell receptor mRNAs, 40-60 days after fertilization.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire du Développement, Equipe d'Immunologie Comparée, CNRS UMR 7622, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Durand
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Charlemagne
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Fellah
mesh_terms: D000558:Ambystoma mexicanum / Q000196:embryology* / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D015870:Gene Expression; D006410:Hematopoiesis; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D017403:In Situ Hybridization / Q000379:methods; D007814:Larva; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008800:Mexico; D013154:Spleen / Q000378:metabolism; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; C064655:V(D)J recombination activating protein 2; C064658:RAG-1 protein