Secreted modular calcium-binding protein-1 localization during mouse embryogenesis.
BM-40 is an extracellular matrix-associated protein and is characterized by an extracellular calcium-binding domain as well as a follistatin-like domain. Secreted modular calcium-binding protein-1 (SMOC-1) is a new member of the BM-40 family. It consists of two thyroglobulin-like domains, a follistatin-like domain and a new domain without known homologues and is expressed ubiquitously in many adult murine tissues. Immunofluorescence studies, as well as immunogold electron microscopy, have confirmed the localization of SMOC-1 in or around basement membranes of adult murine skin, blood vessels, brain, kidney, skeletal muscle, and the zona pellucida surrounding the oocyte. In the present work, light microscopic immunohistochemistry has revealed that SMOC-1 is localized in the early mouse embryo day 7 throughout the entire endodermal basement membrane zone of the embryo proper. SMOC-1 mRNA is synthesized, even in early stages of mouse development, by mesenchymal as well as epithelial cells deriving from all three germ layers. In embryonic stage day 12, and fetal stages day 14, 16, and 18, the protein is present in the basement membrane zones of brain, blood vessels, skin, skeletal muscle, lung, heart, liver, pancreas, intestine, and kidney. This broad and organ-specific distribution suggests multifunctional roles of SMOC-1 during mouse embryogenesis.
Gersdorff
Nikolaus
N
Department of Prosthodontics, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, Germany.
Müller
Matthias
M
Schall
Antje
A
Miosge
Nicolai
N
D000818:Animals; D001485:Basement Membrane / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000378:metabolism*; D047108:Embryonic Development / Q000502:physiology*; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D051379:Mice; D015676:Osteonectin / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*
D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins; D015676:Osteonectin; C524549:SMOC-1 protein, mouse