HvJNK, a Hydra member of the c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase gene family, is expressed during nematocyte differentiation.
C-jun NH(2)-terminal kinases (JNKs) represent a subgroup of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). MAPK pathways are important regulators of cell proliferation, apoptosis, and gene expression throughout higher metazoans. We report here the characterization of a highly conserved Hydra JNK orthologue (HvJNK) that exhibits amino acid sequence identity of 61% as compared with human JNK1alpha. Phylogenetic analysis places HvJNK in a cluster with other metazoan JNKs. HvJNK is expressed in the nematocyte differentiation pathway. Double in situ hybridizations demonstrate overlapping expression with two other genes specifically activated during nematocyte differentiation, HyZic and Nowa, and restrict the phase of HvJNK expression to late proliferating nematoblasts and early differentiating nematocytes. Our results indicate that JNKs might have acted in cell differentiation in simple, pre-bilaterian animals.
Philipp
Isabelle
I
Division of Ultrastructural Research and Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Zoology and Limnology, Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck, University of Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
Holstein
Thomas W
TW
Hobmayer
Bert
B
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D015870:Gene Expression; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D006801:Humans; D006829:Hydra / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics*; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D048031:JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000096:biosynthesis; D016335:Zinc Fingers
D006023:Glycoproteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D048031:JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases