title: The newt ortholog of CD59 is implicated in proximodistal identity during amphibian limb regeneration.
abstract: The proximodistal identity of a newt limb regeneration blastema is respecified by exposure to retinoic acid, but its molecular basis is unclear. We identified from a differential screen the cDNA for Prod 1, a gene whose expression in normal and regenerating limbs is regulated by proximodistal location and retinoic acid: Prod 1 is the newt ortholog of CD59. Prod 1/CD59 was found to be located at the cell surface with a GPI anchor which is cleaved by PIPLC. A proximal newt limb blastema engulfs a distal blastema after juxtaposition in culture, and engulfment is specifically blocked by PIPLC, and by affinity-purified antibodies to two distinct Prod 1/CD59 peptides. Prod 1 is therefore a cell surface protein implicated in the local cell-cell interactions mediating positional identity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University College London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Sara Morais
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.forename: Phillip B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Gates
authors.forename: Jeremy P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Brockes
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D018957:CD59 Antigens / Q000502:physiology*; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D005121:Extremities / Q000502:physiology*; D017261:Glycosylphosphatidylinositols / Q000502:physiology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009673:Notophthalmus viridescens; D012038:Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D018957:CD59 Antigens; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D017261:Glycosylphosphatidylinositols