title: Analysis of the expression of microtubule plus-end tracking proteins (+TIPs) during Xenopus laevis embryogenesis.
abstract: Microtubules are a component of the cytoskeleton and are important for maintaining cell structure and providing platforms for intracellular transport in diverse cellular processes. Microtubule plus-end tracking proteins (+TIPs), a structurally and functionally diverse group of proteins, are specifically accumulated in the microtubule plus end and regulate dynamic microtubule behavior. We characterized the +TIPs, Clip1, p150(glued), Clasp1, Lis1 and Stim1, in Xenopus laevis and report their expression patterns during embryogenesis in this paper. All the five +TIP genes are maternally expressed and have similar expression patterns during Xenopus embryo development. The expression of +TIPs is localized in the animal hemisphere and ectoderm region at early stages of embryonic development. As development progresses to later stages, the ectodermal expression of +TIPs persists in head and neural tube structures. Clasp1, p150(glued) and Lis1 in particular are specifically expressed in the cranial nerves. Importantly, +TIPs are also expressed in the involuting mesoderm during gastrulation. This is the first study of developmental expression patterns of +TIPs, and our analysis provides insight that could serve as the basis for future research of microtubules in vertebrate development, cell movements during gastrulation and neurogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Division of Life Science, Korea Basic Science Institute, Daejeon 305-333, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Edmond Changkyun
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Hyeyoon
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Yeonhee
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Mi-Jung
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Zee-Won
authors.initials: ZW
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Seung Il
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Soohyun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Gun-Hwa
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jin-Kwan
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Han
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000378:metabolism; D047108:Embryonic Development; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D029867:Xenopus Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D014982:Xenopus laevis / Q000196:embryology* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D029867:Xenopus Proteins