PINCH-1 expression during early avian embryogenesis: implications for neural crest and heart development.
The invasion of the cardiac neural crest (CNC) into the outflow tract (OFT) and subsequent OFT septation are critical events during vertebrate heart development. We previously had performed four modified differential display (DD) screens in the chick embryo to identify genes that may be involved in CNC and heart development. Full-length sequence of one of the DD clones has been obtained and identified as chick PINCH-1. This particularly interesting new cysteine-histidine-rich protein contains five protein-binding LIM domains (five double zinc fingers), a nuclear localization signal, and a nuclear export signal, allowing it to participate in integrin and growth factor signaling and possibly act as a transcription factor. We show here for the first time that chick PINCH-1 is expressed in neural crest cells, both in the neural fold and cardiac OFT, and is also expressed in mesoderm derived-structures, including the myocardium, during avian embryogenesis. The normal expression pattern and overexpression in neural crest cell explants suggest that PINCH-1 may be a regulator of neural crest cell adhesion and migration.
Martinsen
Brad J
BJ
Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota School of Medicine, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA. marti198@umn.edu
Neumann
Ann N
AN
Frasier
Allison J
AJ
Baker
Clare V H
CV
Krull
Catherine E
CE
Lohr
Jamie L
JL
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D030161:Avian Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D002642:Chick Embryo; D002678:Chimera; D003370:Coturnix; D006321:Heart / Q000196:embryology*; D008648:Mesoderm / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009206:Myocardium / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D009432:Neural Crest / Q000196:embryology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D016335:Zinc Fingers
D030161:Avian Proteins; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors