The leucine-rich repeats and PDZ (LAP) family of genes are crucial for the maintenance of cell polarity as well as for epithelial homeostasis and tumor suppression in both vertebrates and invertebrates.Four members of...The leucine-rich repeats and PDZ (LAP) family of genes are crucial for the maintenance of cell polarity as well as for epithelial homeostasis and tumor suppression in both vertebrates and invertebrates.Four members of this gene family are known:densin,erbin,scribble and lano.Here,we identified the four members of the LAP gene family in Xenopus tropicalis and studied their expression patterns during embryonic development.The Xenopus LAP proteins show a conserved domain structure that is similar to their homologs in other vertebrates.In Xenopus embryos,these genes were detected in animal cap cells at the early gastrula stage.At later stages of development,they were widely expressed in epithelial tissues that are highly polar in nature,including the neural epithelia,optic and otic vesicles,and in the pronephros.These data suggest that the roles of the Xenopus LAP genes in the control of cell polarity and morphogenesis are conserved during early development.Erbin and lano show similar expression patterns in the developing head,suggesting potential functional interactions between the two molecules in vivo.展开更多
Amphioxus is an important animal model for phylogenetic analysis,including comparative immunology.Exploring the immune system in amphioxus contributes to our understanding of the origin and evolution of the vertebrate...Amphioxus is an important animal model for phylogenetic analysis,including comparative immunology.Exploring the immune system in amphioxus contributes to our understanding of the origin and evolution of the vertebrate immune system.We investigated the amphioxus immune system using ultrastructural examination and in situ hybridization.The expression patterns of TLR1(toll-like receptor 1),C1Q(complement component 1,q subcomponent),ECSIT(evolutionarily conserved signaling intermediate in Toll pathways),SoxC,DDAHa(Dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase a),and NOS(nitric oxide synthase) show that these genes play key roles in amphioxus immunity.Our results suggest that the epidermis and alimentary canal epithelium may play important roles in immune defense,while macrophages located in the coelom and so-called lymph spaces may also be crucial immune cells.展开更多
The protective antigen(PA)mediated internalization of the anthrax complexes is critical in the development of anthrax,which depends on specific membrane receptors,namely ANTXR1(also known as TEM8)and ANTXR2(also known...The protective antigen(PA)mediated internalization of the anthrax complexes is critical in the development of anthrax,which depends on specific membrane receptors,namely ANTXR1(also known as TEM8)and ANTXR2(also known as CMG2)[1].In a screen for host proteins required for anthrax toxin action,low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 6(LRP6)was found important for efficient toxin entry in human M2182 prostate carcinoma cells[2],which interacts with both ANTXR1 and ANTXR2.However,the role of LRP6 in anthrax toxicity remains controversial as both in mice and in human HeLa cells,knockout or knockdown of LRP6 has no clear effect on their sensitivity to anthrax toxins[3].展开更多
基金supported by the Key State Research Program from Ministry of Science and Technology of China (Grant No.2007CB947201)the State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution
文摘The leucine-rich repeats and PDZ (LAP) family of genes are crucial for the maintenance of cell polarity as well as for epithelial homeostasis and tumor suppression in both vertebrates and invertebrates.Four members of this gene family are known:densin,erbin,scribble and lano.Here,we identified the four members of the LAP gene family in Xenopus tropicalis and studied their expression patterns during embryonic development.The Xenopus LAP proteins show a conserved domain structure that is similar to their homologs in other vertebrates.In Xenopus embryos,these genes were detected in animal cap cells at the early gastrula stage.At later stages of development,they were widely expressed in epithelial tissues that are highly polar in nature,including the neural epithelia,optic and otic vesicles,and in the pronephros.These data suggest that the roles of the Xenopus LAP genes in the control of cell polarity and morphogenesis are conserved during early development.Erbin and lano show similar expression patterns in the developing head,suggesting potential functional interactions between the two molecules in vivo.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 30570967, 30671072 and 30700434)Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province (Grant No. Y2007D20)Ministry of Science and Technology of China (Grant Nos. 2007CB815800 and 2007CB947100)
文摘Amphioxus is an important animal model for phylogenetic analysis,including comparative immunology.Exploring the immune system in amphioxus contributes to our understanding of the origin and evolution of the vertebrate immune system.We investigated the amphioxus immune system using ultrastructural examination and in situ hybridization.The expression patterns of TLR1(toll-like receptor 1),C1Q(complement component 1,q subcomponent),ECSIT(evolutionarily conserved signaling intermediate in Toll pathways),SoxC,DDAHa(Dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase a),and NOS(nitric oxide synthase) show that these genes play key roles in amphioxus immunity.Our results suggest that the epidermis and alimentary canal epithelium may play important roles in immune defense,while macrophages located in the coelom and so-called lymph spaces may also be crucial immune cells.
文摘The protective antigen(PA)mediated internalization of the anthrax complexes is critical in the development of anthrax,which depends on specific membrane receptors,namely ANTXR1(also known as TEM8)and ANTXR2(also known as CMG2)[1].In a screen for host proteins required for anthrax toxin action,low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 6(LRP6)was found important for efficient toxin entry in human M2182 prostate carcinoma cells[2],which interacts with both ANTXR1 and ANTXR2.However,the role of LRP6 in anthrax toxicity remains controversial as both in mice and in human HeLa cells,knockout or knockdown of LRP6 has no clear effect on their sensitivity to anthrax toxins[3].
