title: Analysis of gelsolin expression pattern in developing chicken embryo reveals high GSN expression level in tissues of neural crest origin.
abstract: Gelsolin is one of the most intensively studied actin-binding proteins. However, in the literature comprehensive studies of GSN expression during development have not been performed yet in all model organisms. In zebrafish, gelsolin is a dorsalizing factor that modulates bone morphogenetic proteins signaling pathways, whereas knockout of the gelsolin coding gene, GSN is not lethal in murine model. To study the role of gelsolin in development of higher vertebrates, it is crucial to estimate GSN expression pattern during development. Here, we examined GSN expression in the developing chicken embryo. We applied numerous methods to track GSN expression in developing embryos at mRNA and protein level. We noted a characteristic GSN expression pattern. Although GSN transcripts were present in several cell types starting from early developmental stages, a relatively high GSN expression was observed in eye, brain vesicles, midbrain, neural tube, heart tube, and splanchnic mesoderm. In older embryos, we observed a high GSN expression in the cranial ganglia and dorsal root ganglia. A detailed analysis of 10-day-old chicken embryos revealed high amounts of gelsolin especially within the head region: in the olfactory and optic systems, meninges, nerves, muscles, presumptive pituitary gland, and pericytes, but not oligodendrocytes in the brain. Obtained results suggest that GSN is expressed at high levels in some tissues of ectodermal origin including all neural crest derivatives. Additionally, we describe that silencing of GSN expression in brain vesicles leads to altered morphology of the mesencephalon. This implies gelsolin is crucial for chicken brain development.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Pathology, Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Wroclaw, ul. Joliot-Curie 14a, 50-383, Wrocław, Poland. ajmazur@ibmb.uni.wroc.pl.
authors.forename: Antonina Joanna
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Mazur
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Molecular Embryology, Ruhr University of Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
authors.forename: Gabriela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Morosan-Puopolo
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Pathology, Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Wroclaw, ul. Joliot-Curie 14a, 50-383, Wrocław, Poland.
authors.forename: Aleksandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Makowiecka
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Pathology, Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Wroclaw, ul. Joliot-Curie 14a, 50-383, Wrocław, Poland.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Malicka-Błaszkiewicz
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Pathology, Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Wroclaw, ul. Joliot-Curie 14a, 50-383, Wrocław, Poland.
authors.forename: Dorota
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nowak
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Molecular Embryology, Ruhr University of Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
authors.forename: Beate
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Brand-Saberi
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D001921:Brain / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000378:metabolism; D002642:Chick Embryo; D018274:Electroporation; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000378:metabolism; D018260:Gelsolin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D018014:Gene Transfer Techniques; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009432:Neural Crest / Q000378:metabolism*; D034622:RNA Interference; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D018260:Gelsolin; D012333:RNA, Messenger
keywords: Brain; Chicken development; Gelsolin; Nervous system; Neural crest; Optic and olfactory systems