Expression and function of myc during asexual reproduction of the budding ascidian Polyandrocarpa misakiensis |
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Authors: | Fujiwara Shigeki Isozaki Takaomi Mori Kyoko Kawamura Kazuo |
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Affiliation: | Department of Applied Science, Kochi University, 2-5-1 Akebono-cho, Kochi-shi, Kochi 780-8520, Japan. tatataa@kochi-u.ac.jp |
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Abstract: | The budding ascidian Polyandrocarpa misakiensis proliferates asexually by budding. The atrial epithelium is a multipotent but differentiated tissue, which transdifferentiates into various tissues and organs after the bud separates from the parental body. We isolated cDNA clones homologous to the myc proto-oncogene from P. misakiensis. The cDNA, named Pm-myc, encoded a polypeptide of 639 amino acid residues, containing Myc-specific functional motifs, Myc box I and Myc box II, and the basic helix-loop-helix domain. Expression of Pm-myc was observed in the atrial epithelium in the organ-forming region of the developing bud, where the epithelial cells dedifferentiate and re-enter the cell cycle. The expression was also observed in fibroblast-like cells, which are known to participate in the organogenesis together with the epithelial cells. Unexpectedly, the atrial epithelium expressed Pm-myc more than one day before the dedifferentiation. The organogenesis was disturbed by Pm-myc-specific double-stranded RNA. In situ hybridization revealed that Pm-myc-positive fibroblast-like cells disappeared around the organ primordium of the dsRNA-treated bud. The results suggest that the mesenchymal-epithelial transition of fibroblast-like cells is important for the organogenesis in this budding ascidian species. |
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Keywords: | ascidian asexual reproduction budding myc transdifferentiation |
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