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N-cadherin protein distribution in normal embryos and in embryos carrying mutations in the homeobox gene Hoxa-4.

Authors: Debra J. Wolgemuth; Alan I. Packer; J D Parnass; V A Elwell; K A Knudsen;

N-cadherin protein distribution in normal embryos and in embryos carrying mutations in the homeobox gene Hoxa-4.

Abstract

N-cadherin is a calcium-dependent adhesion molecule with a potential role in a variety of morphogenetic events. Although a dynamic pattern of expression in the mouse embryo has been suggested by in situ hybridization analysis, to date there has been no report of N-cadherin protein expression. In this immunohistochemical study we surveyed N-cadherin protein expression in the mid-late gestation mouse embryo utilizing a recently characterized monoclonal antibody. We found N-cadherin expression in a wide array of tissues, including the brain, the eye, various cranial ganglia, the spinal cord, spinal ganglia, somites, vertebral and limb cartilage and perichondria, the developing lung and kidney, the enteric nervous system, and germ cells. These results suggest that N-cadherin protein expression, as in the chick embryo, correlates with the segregation of cells and with organogenesis. As cadherins have been proposed as targets of vertebrate Hox genes, we also examined N-cadherin expression in two lines of Hoxa-4 mutant mice. We did not observe any alterations in N-cadherin expression in either Hoxa-4 null embryos or in transgenic embryos that overexpress Hoxa-4 in the mesenchyme of the gut. However, the partial overlap in expression between Hox genes and N-cadherin, and the likelihood of redundancy in the regulation of target genes, leaves open the possibility that cadherins are direct or indirect targets of Hox genes during mouse embryogenesis.

Related Organizations
Keywords

Homeodomain Proteins, Male, Genes, Homeobox, Antibodies, Monoclonal, Mice, Transgenic, Cadherins, Embryo, Mammalian, Mice, Mutant Strains, DNA-Binding Proteins, Immunoenzyme Techniques, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Embryonic and Fetal Development, Mice, Mutation, Animals, Female, Transcription Factors

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Powered by OpenAIRE graph
citations
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
27
Average
Top 10%
Top 10%