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The oligomeric integrity of toposome is essential for its morphogenetic function
G Scaturro1, F Zito, V Matranga
1Istituto di Biologia dello Sviluppo, C.N.R., Via U. La Malfa 153, Palermo, 90146, Italy.
Cell Biology International
|April 2, 1999
Summary
Toposome, a glycoprotein complex from sea urchin embryos, mediates cell adhesion and positional guidance. Its molecular structure and subunit function are crucial for proper embryonic development, including skeleton formation.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Cell Biology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Sea urchin embryos are model organisms for studying morphogenetic cell interactions.
- Toposome, a 22S glycoprotein complex, has been identified in *Paracentrotus lividus* embryos.
- Toposome's role in cell adhesion and proposed function in positional guidance are known.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the molecular structure of toposome.
- To determine if the oligomeric integrity of toposome is essential for its biological function.
Main Methods:
- Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) under non-reducing conditions to analyze toposome subunits.
- EndoH endoglycosidase digestion to assess glycosylation.
- Testing the biological activity of toposome subunits on dissociated sea urchin embryonic cells.
Main Results:
- Under non-reducing conditions, toposome resolved into bands of 260 kDa, 180-160 kDa, and 80 kDa via SDS-PAGE.
- EndoH digestion indicated varying degrees of glycosylation across the subunits.
- Dissociated cells treated with individual subunits failed to form skeletons, unlike those with native toposome, which developed pluteus-like structures.
Conclusions:
- Toposome's molecular structure involves distinct subunits with varying glycosylation.
- The oligomeric integrity of toposome is essential for its role in mediating cell adhesion and promoting skeletal development in sea urchin embryos.