Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 16, 2026
10:31
Enhanced Crosslinking Immunoprecipitation eCLIP Method for Efficient Identification of Protein-bound RNA in Mouse Testis
Published on: May 10, 2019
20.8K
RNA helicase Mov10 is essential for gastrulation and central nervous system development
Geena Skariah1, Kimberly J Perry2, Jenny Drnevich3
1Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, Urbana, Illinois.
Summary
Mov10 protein is crucial for frog development, particularly during gastrulation and central nervous system (CNS) formation. Its absence causes developmental defects, highlighting its essential role in embryonic growth.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Molecular Biology
- RNA Biology
Background:
- Mov10 is an RNA helicase that influences Argonaute 2 binding to microRNA recognition sites on mRNAs.
- Its precise role in vertebrate development was previously unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the function of Mov10 during Xenopus laevis development.
- To determine Mov10's role in embryonic morphogenesis and central nervous system formation.
Main Methods:
- Utilized morpholino-mediated knockdown of maternal and zygotic Mov10 in Xenopus embryos.
- Performed RNA sequencing to analyze gene expression changes in Mov10 knockdown embryos.
- Observed developmental phenotypes including gastrulation, neurulation, and organogenesis.
Main Results:
- Mov10 knockdown resulted in severe gastrulation defects, including impaired notochord and paraxial mesoderm development, and failure of neurulation.
- RNA sequencing revealed significant upregulation of mRNAs involved in cytoskeleton, adhesion, and extracellular matrix.
- Delayed degradation of miR-427 target mRNA (cyclin A1) was observed, suggesting a role in maternal to zygotic transition regulation.
- Knockdown of zygotic Mov10 impaired head, eye, and brain development, consistent with mouse studies.
Conclusions:
- Mov10 plays an essential role in Xenopus gastrulation and central nervous system development.
- Mov10's function in miRNA-mediated regulation impacts key developmental processes.
- These findings underscore Mov10's critical importance in embryonic development.
Related Concept Videos
00:55DNA Helicases
24.3K
DNA unwinding helicase enzymes are a type of motor protein. Motor proteins can translocate along filaments or polymers using energy generated from ATP hydrolysis. Helicases are involved in all the important cellular processes where DNA unwinding is required, such as DNA replication, repair, recombination, and transcription. They are present in all living organisms, but vary in their structure, function, and mechanism of action. For example, in prokaryotes, DnaB helicase binds and translocates...
24.3K
01:56Gastrulation
67.7K
Gastrulation establishes the three primary tissues of an embryo: the ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. This developmental process relies on a series of intricate cellular movements, which in humans transforms a flat, “bilaminar disc” composed of two cell sheets into a three-tiered structure. In the resulting embryo, the endoderm serves as the bottom layer, and stacked directly above it is the intermediate mesoderm, and then the uppermost ectoderm. Respectively, these tissue strata...
67.7K
02:54Nucleosome Remodeling
11.3K
Nucleosomes are the basic units of chromatin compaction. Each nucleosome consists of the DNA bound tightly around a histone core, which makes the DNA inaccessible to DNA binding proteins such as DNA polymerase and RNA polymerase. Hence, the fundamental problem is to ensure access to DNA when appropriate, despite the compact and protective chromatin structure.
Nucleosome remodeling complex
Eukaryotic cells have specialized enzymes called ATP-dependent nucleosome remodeling enzymes. These enzymes...
Nucleosome remodeling complex
Eukaryotic cells have specialized enzymes called ATP-dependent nucleosome remodeling enzymes. These enzymes...
11.3K
01:30Neurulation
46.4K
Neurulation is the embryological process which forms the precursors of the central nervous system and occurs after gastrulation has established the three primary cell layers of the embryo: ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. In humans, the majority of this system is formed via primary neurulation, in which the central portion of the ectoderm—originally appearing as a flat sheet of cells—folds upwards and inwards, sealing off to form a hollow neural tube. As development proceeds, the...
46.4K
01:32Cytoskeletal Coordination in Cell Migration
5.6K
A migrating cell changes its shape during the cyclic events of attachment and detachment from the substratum and repositions the cell organelles correspondingly. These complex events are orchestrated by the dynamic cytoskeletal network comprising actin filaments, intermediate filaments, and microtubules. Cytoskeletal crosstalk — the direct and indirect communication between the different components — is crucial for this coordination. Direct communication involves various linker...
5.6K
01:24Small GTPases - Ras and Rho
5.5K
Ras and Rho are small monomeric GTPases that act downstream of receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) and regulate various cellular processes. These GTPases switch between active and inactive states by binding to guanine nucleotides.
Three regulatory proteins control their activity:
Three regulatory proteins control their activity:
5.5K