A novel TBP-interacting zinc finger protein functions in early development of Xenopus laevis.
A zinc finger protein that interacts with Xenopus TATA-binding protein was previously isolated by a yeast two-hybrid screen and found to serve as a transcriptional repressor. The gene was designated the negatively regulating zinc finger protein gene (NZFP). Herein, NZFP was found to be expressed maternally. After gastrulation, the level of NZFP mRNA decreased significantly throughout the neurula stage. However, mRNA levels increased at stage 35 and then began to decrease at stage 48. Eventually, no NZFP mRNA was observed in adult tissues except in the ovary. NZFP mRNA was detected in the animal hemisphere during gastrulation and observed in the neural ectoderm at the neurula stage. At the tailbud stage, NZFP was highly expressed in the head tissues such as brain, eyes, otic vesicles, lateral line placodes, and branchial arches, but weakly in somites. Depletion of NZFP in the embryos using RNA interference caused premature death at the gastrula stage or induced secondary partial axis after gastrulation. These results strongly suggest that NZFP is an essential transcription factor involved in the cell movement during gastrulation and the formation of the dorsal axis during early development in Xenopus.
Kim
Mijin
M
Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742, Republic of Korea.
Choi
Jinseol
J
Carlson
Bradley A
BA
Han
Jin-Kwan
JK
Rhee
Kunsoo
K
Sargent
Thomas
T
Hatfield
Dolph L
DL
Lee
Byeong Jae
BJ
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D004475:Ectoderm / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005775:Gastrula / Q000378:metabolism; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010053:Ovary / Q000378:metabolism; D010957:Plasmids / Q000378:metabolism; D011485:Protein Binding; D012330:RNA, Double-Stranded / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013997:Time Factors; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D014982:Xenopus laevis / Q000196:embryology*; D016335:Zinc Fingers
D012330:RNA, Double-Stranded; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012097:Repressor Proteins; C476235:ZNF182 protein, Xenopus