title: Developmental expression profile of the CXCL12gamma isoform: insights into its tissue-specific role.
abstract: The CXCL12gamma chemokine arises by alternative splicing from Cxcl12, an highly conserved gene that plays pivotal, non-redundant roles during development. The interaction of the highly cationic carboxy-terminal (C-ter) domain of CXCL12gamma with glycosaminoglycans (GAG) critically determines the biological properties of this chemokine. Indeed, CXCL12gamma isoform displays sustained in vivo recruitment of leukocytes and endothelial progenitor cells as compared to other CXCL12 isoforms. Despite the important, specific roles of CXCL12gamma in vivo, the current knowledge about its distribution in embryo and adult tissues is scarce. In this study, we have characterized by both RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry the expression profile and tissue distribution of CXCL12gamma, which showed a distinct mRNA expression pattern during organogenesis that correlates with the specific expression of the CXCL12 gamma protein in several tissues and cell types during development. Our results support the biological relevance of CXCL12 gamma in vivo, and shed light on the specific roles that this novel isoform could play in muscle development and vascularization as well as on the regulation of essential homeostatic functions during the embryonic development.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Biology, Cardiovascular Development Laboratory, University of Jaén, Jaén, Spain. dfranco@ujaen.es
authors.forename: Diego
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Franco
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rueda
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lendínez
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Arenzana-Seisdedos
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Caruz
mesh_terms: D017398:Alternative Splicing; D000818:Animals; D054377:Chemokine CXCL12 / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D011247:Pregnancy; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D054377:Chemokine CXCL12; C515256:Cxcl12 protein, mouse; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D012333:RNA, Messenger