XPteg (Xenopus proximal tubules-expressed gene) is essential for pronephric mesoderm specification and tubulogenesis.
Retinoic acid (RA) signaling is important for the early steps of nephrogenic cell fate specification. Here, we report a novel target gene of RA signaling named XPteg (Xenopus proximal tubules-expressed gene) which is critical for pronephric development. XPteg starts to be expressed at the earliest stage of embryonic kidney specification and was restricted to the pronephric proximal tubules during kidney development. Anti-sense morpholino (MO)-mediated knockdown of XPteg perturbed formation of pronephros as demonstrated by reduced expression of pronephric tubule markers. Conversely, overexpression of XPteg promoted endogenous and ectopic expression of those markers and expanded pronephric tubules. Treatment of retinoic acid induced the expression of XPteg in the pronephric field without protein synthesis. Furthermore, we found that the pronephric defects caused by a dominant negative RA receptor could be rescued by coexpression of XPteg. Taken together, these results suggest that XPteg functions as a direct transcriptional target of RA signaling to regulate pronephric tubulogenesis in Xenopus early development.
Lee
Seung Joon
SJ
Department of Life Science, Division of Molecular and Life Sciences, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, Kyungbuk, South Korea.
Kim
Sanghee
S
Choi
Sun-Cheol
SC
Han
Jin-Kwan
JK
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D007684:Kidney Tubules / Q000196:embryology*; D060850:LIM-Homeodomain Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D008648:Mesoderm / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009399:Nephrons / Q000196:embryology*; D016376:Oligonucleotides, Antisense / Q000235:genetics; D000072636:PAX8 Transcription Factor; D051761:Paired Box Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014157:Transcription Factors; D014212:Tretinoin / Q000378:metabolism; D029867:Xenopus Proteins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D014982:Xenopus laevis / Q000378:metabolism*
D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D060850:LIM-Homeodomain Proteins; C543964:Lhx1 protein, Xenopus; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D016376:Oligonucleotides, Antisense; D000072636:PAX8 Transcription Factor; C549147:PDZK1IP1 protein, Xenopus; D051761:Paired Box Transcription Factors; C499500:Pax8 protein, Xenopus; D014157:Transcription Factors; D029867:Xenopus Proteins; D014212:Tretinoin