A novel POZ/zinc finger protein, champignon, interferes with gastrulation movements in Xenopus.
We have cloned a novel krüppel-like transcription factor of Xenopus that encodes POZ/zinc finger protein by expression cloning. Overexpression of mRNA resulted in interference with gastrulation. Because the injected embryo looks like a mushroom in appearance at the neurula stage, we have named this gene champignon (cpg). In cpg-injected embryos, the blastopore appeared normally, but regressed thereafter. The injected embryos then elongated along the primary dorsoventral axis during the tailbud stage. Histologic sections and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis showed that cpg had no effect on the cell differentiation. The animal pole region of cpg-injected embryos was thick during the gastrula stage, and mesodermal cells remained in the marginal zone. Furthermore, neither Keller-sandwich explants nor activin-treated animal cap explants excised from cpg-injected embryos elongated. These results suggest that cpg acts as a potent inhibitor of cell migration and cell intercalation during gastrulation.
Goto
T
T
Department of Biology, Gilmer Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA.
Hasegawa
K
K
Kinoshita
T
T
Kubota
H Y
HY
D000818:Animals; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000196:embryology / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005260:Female; D005775:Gastrula / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000502:physiology; D051741:Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors; D008845:Microinjections; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009068:Movement; D016296:Mutagenesis / Q000502:physiology; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000494:pharmacology; D029867:Xenopus Proteins; D014982:Xenopus laevis; D016335:Zinc Fingers / Q000235:genetics*
D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D051741:Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D029867:Xenopus Proteins; C433423:champignon protein, Xenopus