title: Neuronal leucine-rich repeat 6 (XlNLRR-6) is required for late lens and retina development in Xenopus laevis.
abstract: Leucine-rich repeat proteins expressed in the developing vertebrate nervous system comprise a complex, multifamily group, and little is known of their developmental function in vivo. We have identified a novel member of this group in Xenopus laevis, XlNLRR-6, and through sequence and phylogenetic analysis, have placed it within a defined family of vertebrate neuronal leucine-rich repeat proteins (NLRR). XlNLRR-6 is expressed in the developing nervous system and tissues of the eye beginning at the neural plate stage, and expression continues throughout embryonic and larval development. Using antisense morpholino oligonucleotide (MO) -mediated knockdown of XlNLRR-6, we demonstrate that this protein is critical for development of the lens, retina, and cornea. Reciprocal transplantation of presumptive lens ectoderm between MO-treated and untreated embryos demonstrate that XlNLRR-6 plays autonomous roles in the development of both the lens and retina. These findings represent the first in vivo functional analysis of an NLRR family protein and establish a role for this protein during late differentiation of tissues in the developing eye.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, and College of Medicine, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
authors.forename: Adam D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Wolfe
authors.forename: Jonathan J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Henry
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D004475:Ectoderm / Q000637:transplantation; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007908:Lens, Crystalline / Q000187:drug effects / Q000196:embryology*; D007930:Leucine; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009474:Neurons / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D016376:Oligonucleotides, Antisense / Q000494:pharmacology; D010802:Phylogeny; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D012160:Retina / Q000187:drug effects / Q000196:embryology*; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D029867:Xenopus Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology; D014982:Xenopus laevis / Q000196:embryology* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016376:Oligonucleotides, Antisense; D029867:Xenopus Proteins; D007930:Leucine