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Bestrophin genes are expressed in Xenopus development |
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| Authors: | Yasuko Onuma Yoshikazu Haramoto Susumu Nejigane Shuji Takahashi |
| Affiliation: | a Organ Development Research Laboratory, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Sciences and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba Central 4, 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8562, Japan b Network for Life Science Education, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan c ICORP Organ Regeneration Project, Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), Tokyo, Japan d Center for Structuring Life Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan e Department of Life Sciences (Biology), Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 3-8-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan |
| Abstract: | The Bestrophin-1/VMD2 gene has been implicated in Best disease, a juvenile-onset vitelliform macular dystrophy. The Bestrophin proteins have anion channel activity, and the four mammalian members share sequence homologies in multiple transmembrane domains and an RFP-tripeptide motif. The expression patterns and functions of the Bestrophin genes in retinal pigment epithelium have been studied intensively, whereas little is known about their roles in vertebrate embryogenesis. This study examined the roles of four Xenopus tropicalis homologs of BEST genes. The xtBest genes showed spatially and temporally distinct expression. xtBest-2 was the only maternally expressed Best gene, and both xtBest-2 and the Xenopus laevis Best-2 gene were expressed at the edge of the blastopore lip including the organizer. Ectopic expression of xBest-2 caused defects in dorsal axis formation and in mesodermal gene expression during gastrulation. These results suggest a new role of the Bestrophin family genes in early vertebrate embryogenesis. |
| Keywords: | Best vitelliform macular dystrophy Bestrophin Vmd2 xtBest xBest-2 Xenopus tropicalis |
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