title: Type I cadherins are required for differentiation and coordinated rotation in Xenopus laevis somitogenesis.
abstract: In Xenopus laevis somitogenesis, somitic blocks undergo coordinated movements resulting in their detachment from the rest of the mesodermal ridge, followed by a 90 degrees rotation of the entire metamere. Here we investigated the function of type I cadherins in somitogenesis. Type I cadherins are Ca(2+)-dependent cell-cell adhesion molecules concentrated in the adherens junctions and highly expressed in the somitic tissue. We analyzed their role in somitogenesis by overexpressing either the intracellular (deltaE) and the extracellular (C-trunc) dominant-negative forms of cadherin. The resulting phenotype was a downward bend of the anterior-posterior axis in tadpole stage embryos. 12/101 antigen and X-Myo-D expression were altered. Microscopy revealed disorganization of the myotomes. Conversely, segmentation was conserved at the microscopic and molecular levels.
authors.affiliation: Institut Curie, CNRS-UMR 144, Laboratoire de Morphogénèse et progression tumorale, Paris, France. giacomello@unisi.it
authors.forename: Emiliana
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Giacomello
authors.forename: Jerome
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vallin
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Morali
authors.forename: Ivan S
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Coulter
authors.forename: Habib
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Boulekbache
authors.forename: Jean P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Thiery
authors.forename: Florence
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Broders
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015820:Cadherins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D007814:Larva / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D009154:Mutation; D019170:Somites / Q000502:physiology*; D014162:Transfection; D014982:Xenopus laevis / Q000196:embryology*
chemical_list: D015820:Cadherins