title: Pescadillo homologue 1 and Peter Pan function during Xenopus laevis pronephros development.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  pes1 (pescadillo homologue 1) and ppan (Peter Pan) are multifunctional proteins involved in ribosome biogenesis, cell proliferation, apoptosis, cell migration and regulation of gene expression. Both proteins are required for early neural development in Xenopus laevis, as previously demonstrated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We show that the expression of both genes in the developing pronephros depends on wnt4 and fzd3 (frizzled homologue 3) function. Loss of pes1 or ppan by MO (morpholino oligonucleotide)-based knockdown approaches resulted in strong malformations during pronephric tubule formation. Defects were already notable during specification of pronephric progenitor cells, as shown by lhx1 expression. Moreover, we demonstrated that Xenopus pes1 and ppan interact physically and functionally and that pes1 and ppan can cross-rescue the loss of function phenotype of one another. Interference with rRNA synthesis, however, did not result in a similar early pronephros phenotype.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results demonstrate that pes1 and ppan are required for Xenopus pronephros development and indicate that their function in the pronephros is independent of their role in ribosome biosynthesis.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Aleksandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tecza
authors.forename: Verena
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bugner
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kühl
authors.forename: Susanne J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Kühl
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism; D051157:Frizzled Receptors / Q000235:genetics; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D055785:Gene Knockdown Techniques; D060172:Morpholinos; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D060910:Pronephros / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism; D011485:Protein Binding; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; D012270:Ribosomes / Q000502:physiology; D060528:Wnt4 Protein / Q000235:genetics; D029867:Xenopus Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D014982:Xenopus laevis / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: C486340:FZD3 protein, Xenopus; D051157:Frizzled Receptors; D060172:Morpholinos; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; C525057:PES1 protein, Xenopus; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; D060528:Wnt4 Protein; C555584:Wnt4 protein, Xenopus; D029867:Xenopus Proteins