title: Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) expression and phosphorylation in sea urchin embryos.
abstract: We have cloned three cDNA isoforms of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) from the sea urchin, Lytechinus variegatus. The sea urchin FAK is more closely related to FAK from other deuterostomes than from invertebrate protostomes or to cell adhesion kinase beta (CAKbeta/Pyk2/FAK2). FAK is expressed in all cells of sea urchin embryos by the 120-cell stage and strongly in blastulae. Phospho-FAK concentrates on basal surfaces of epithelial cells in early blastulae and occurs in syncytial cables of primary mesenchyme cells (PMC). Inhibition of FAK by constructs of FAK-related non-kinase delays blastocoel expansion and early PMC ingression. These results suggest that FAK has roles in cell adhesion and in the shape and integrity of the epithelial cells in sea urchin embryos.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Washington, Box 351800, Seattle, WA 98195-1800, USA.
authors.forename: María Guadalupe
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: García
authors.forename: Sarah Johnson
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Toney
authors.forename: Merrill B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Hille
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000502:physiology; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000196:embryology / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000378:metabolism; D051416:Focal Adhesion Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000502:physiology; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010766:Phosphorylation; D010802:Phylogeny; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D012617:Sea Urchins
chemical_list: D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D051416:Focal Adhesion Protein-Tyrosine Kinases