title: Xclaudin 1 is required for the proper gastrulation in Xenopus laevis.
abstract: Claudin 1 is one of the tight junctional proteins involved in the tight sealing of the cellular sheets and plays a crucial role in the maintenance of cell polarity. Although its structure and physiological function in intercellular adhesion is relatively well understood, we have little information about its possible involvement in early development of vertebrates. We found Xclaudin 1 is expressed maternally in the oocyte of Xenopus laevis and the zygotic expression initiates stage 9 in the animal hemisphere but not in the vegetal hemisphere, limited on the ectoderm and mesoderm until the end of gastrulation. We have investigated a potential role for claudin 1 at gastrulation by gain and loss-of-function studies. Over-expression of Xclaudin 1 resulted in gastrulation defect in a dose-dependent manner. Knockdown of Xclaudin 1 by antisense morpholino oligonucleotides (MOs) blocked convergent extension, whereas ectopic expression of Xclaudin 1-myc mRNA rescued these defects. However, altered expression of Xclaudin 1 did not inhibit mesodermal gene expression. Taken together, our results suggest that Xclaudin 1 is required for proper convergent extension movement during Xenopus gastrulation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Da-Jung
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Yoo-Seok
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: Sang-Wook
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Cha
authors.forename: Jeong-Pil
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Chae
authors.forename: Sung-Hun
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: Jang-Hee
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Hahn
authors.forename: Yong Chul
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Bae
authors.forename: Hyun-Shik
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Mae Ja
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D057167:Claudins; D054262:Gastrulation / Q000235:genetics*; D055785:Gene Knockdown Techniques; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D019108:Tight Junctions / Q000378:metabolism*; D029867:Xenopus Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D014982:Xenopus laevis / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000196:embryology* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D057167:Claudins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D029867:Xenopus Proteins; C422906:claudin protein, Xenopus