Developmental expression of the Notch signaling pathway genes during mouse preimplantation development.
Notch signaling is an evolutionary conserved pathway involved in intercellular signaling and essential for proper cell fate choices during development. Thus, it could be involved in mouse preimplantation development where intercellular signaling plays a crucial role, particularly between the inner cell mass and the trophectoderm of the blastocyst. At their face value, the phenotypes observed when disrupting each of the four Notch genes known in the mouse do not support this view as none of them involves perturbation of preimplantation development. However this could be due to functional redundancy and/or maternal expression. As a first step to address this issue, we decided to examine the expression in early development of various genes known to participate in Notch signaling. Here, we report on the expression pattern of Notch1-4, Jagged1 (Jag1), Jag2, Delta-like1 (Dll-1), Dll-3, Dll-4, Rbpsuh, Deltex1(Dtx1)and Dtx2 genes during preimplantation development from unfertilized eggs until late blastocyst stage using a RT-PCR strategy. We show that Notch1, 2, Jag1-2, Dll-3, Rbpsuh and Dtx2 transcripts are expressed at all stages. Notch4 and Dll-4 mRNAs are synthesized from the 2-cell through to the hatched blastocyst stage. Notch3, Dll-1 and Dtx1exhibit a stage dependent expression as their mRNAs are detected in 2-cell embryos and in hatched blastocysts, but are absent or weakly detected at the morula stage. Finally, we show that all the above genes are expressed both in Embryonic and Trophoblast Stem cells (ES and TS cells, respectively). Our results suggest that the Notch pathway may be active during mouse preimplantation development.
Cormier
Sarah
S
Unité de Biologie du Développement, Institut Pasteur, CNRS URA 2578, 25 rue du Docteur Roux, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France.
Vandormael-Pournin
Sandrine
S
Babinet
Charles
C
Cohen-Tannoudji
Michel
M
D000818:Animals; D001755:Blastocyst; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D019070:Cell Lineage; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000737:chemistry; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D051819:Immunoglobulin J Recombination Signal Sequence-Binding Protein; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D000072100:Jagged-1 Protein; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D010641:Phenotype; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D051880:Receptors, Notch; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D000072099:Serrate-Jagged Proteins; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors; D014327:Trophoblasts / Q000166:cytology; D044767:Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases
D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D017931:DNA Primers; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D051819:Immunoglobulin J Recombination Signal Sequence-Binding Protein; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; C000606274:Jag1 protein, mouse; D000072100:Jagged-1 Protein; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C497571:Rbpj protein, mouse; D051880:Receptors, Notch; D000072099:Serrate-Jagged Proteins; C064045:delta protein; C104035:Dtx1 protein, mouse; D044767:Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases