title: Isolation and characterization of the cDNA for a Ciona intestinalis RNA binding protein: spatial and temporal expression during development.
abstract: A cDNA encoding an RNA binding protein has been isolated from a cDNA library prepared from larvae of the ascidian Ciona intestinalis. The putative protein of 162 amino acids contained in the N-terminal region one copy of the consensus sequence RNA binding domain and in the C-terminal region a glycine-rich domain. The in vitro translated protein bound various RNA homopolymers, preferentially polyU, polyA, and polyG, and the binding was affected by increasing ionic strength. Northern blot analysis revealed a single transcript of about 0.7 kb in length that was present during embryonic development with two major peaks of accumulation at gastrula and larval stages. Whole-mount in situ hybridization experiments on embryos at different stages of development showed gene expression mainly in mesenchymal cells and in neural tissue.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dorhn, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Piscopo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Branno
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Aniello
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Corrado
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Piscopo
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fucci
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002938:Ciona intestinalis / Q000196:embryology* / Q000235:genetics*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009843:Oligoribonucleotides / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009928:Organ Specificity; D011485:Protein Binding; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D016372:RNA, Antisense / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D009843:Oligoribonucleotides; D016372:RNA, Antisense; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; C405935:GRP1 protein, Ciona intestinalis