Xclaudin 1 is required for the proper gastrulation in Xenopus laevis.
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.
Chang
Da-Jung
DJ
Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Republic of Korea.
Hwang
Yoo-Seok
YS
Cha
Sang-Wook
SW
Chae
Jeong-Pil
JP
Hwang
Sung-Hun
SH
Hahn
Jang-Hee
JH
Bae
Yong Chul
YC
Lee
Hyun-Shik
HS
Park
Mae Ja
MJ
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
D057167:Claudins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D029867:Xenopus Proteins; C422906:claudin protein, Xenopus