title: MarvelD3 regulates the c-Jun N-terminal kinase pathway during eye development in Xenopus.
abstract: Ocular morphogenesis requires several signalling pathways controlling the expression of transcription factors and cell-cycle regulators. However, despite a well-known mechanism, the dialogue between those signals and factors remains to be unveiled. Here, we identify a requirement for MarvelD3, a tight junction transmembrane protein, in eye morphogenesis in Xenopus MarvelD3 depletion led to an abnormally pigmented eye or even an eye-less phenotype, which was rescued by ectopic MarvelD3 expression. Altering MarvelD3 expression led to deregulated expression of cell-cycle regulators and transcription factors required for eye development. The eye phenotype was rescued by increased c-Jun terminal Kinase activation. Thus, MarvelD3 links tight junctions and modulation of the JNK pathway to eye morphogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, London EC1V 9EL, UK.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Vacca
authors.affiliation: Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, London EC1V 9EL, UK.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sanchez-Heras
authors.affiliation: Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, London EC1V 9EL, UK.
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Steed
authors.affiliation: Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, London EC1V 9EL, UK.
authors.forename: Maria S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Balda
authors.affiliation: Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, London EC1V 9EL, UK.
authors.forename: Shin-Ichi
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Ohnuma
authors.affiliation: Division of Biomedical Sciences, Developmental Biomedical Science Laboratory, Graduate School of Biological Sciences, Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST), 8916-5, Takayama-cho, Ikoma 630-0192, Japan.
authors.forename: Noriaki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sasai
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mayor
authors.affiliation: Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, London EC1V 9EL, UK k.matter@ucl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Karl
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8026-7220
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matter
keywords: C-Jun N-terminal Kinase; MarvelD3; Tight junction; Xenopus eye