Asymmetric expression of Syndecan-2 in early chick embryogenesis.
Chicken Syndecan-2 (cSyndecan-2) is the homologue of Xenopus Syndecan-2, a member of the heparan sulfate proteoglycan family with an important role in left-right patterning in frog embryos. A relationship to LR asymmetry in other species has not been reported. We show that cSyndecan-2 is expressed throughout the primitive streak between st. 1 and 3 in the chick embryo, and is restricted to the rostral and caudal tips of the primitive streak at st. 4. It displays distinct left-right asymmetry, being expressed in the right side of Hensen's node at st. 5. The asymmetric expression of cSyndecan-2 is maintained around the node between st. 5 and 7. At early somite stages, somites and neural folds express cSyndecan-2. The somite expression disappears by st. 11, but strong expression in the neural tube continues. Our data reveal a new asymmetric transcript in the chick embryo and indicate that in contrast to protein-level asymmetries, which underlie syndecan-2 function in Xenopus, chick syndecan-2 exhibits asymmetry at the mRNA level.
Fukumoto
Takahiro
T
Cytokine Biology Department, The Forsyth Institute, 140 The Fenway, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Levin
Michael
M
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D019521:Body Patterning; D002642:Chick Embryo / Q000502:physiology*; D017931:DNA Primers; D007839:Functional Laterality; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics*; D009024:Morphogenesis; D009420:Nervous System / Q000196:embryology*; D011509:Proteoglycans / Q000235:genetics*; D053669:Syndecan-2; D029867:Xenopus Proteins
D017931:DNA Primers; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D011509:Proteoglycans; D029867:Xenopus Proteins; C508248:sdc2 protein, Xenopus; D053669:Syndecan-2