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Functional Cloning Using a Xenopus Oocyte Expression System
Published on: January 30, 2016
Developmental expression of three prmt genes in Xenopus
Cheng-Dong Wang1, Xiao-Fang Guo2,3, Thomas Chi Bun Wong1
1Key Laboratory for Regenerative Medicine, Ministry of Education, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Insights
This study maps the expression of three protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs) during Xenopus development. Findings reveal distinct expression patterns for PRMT4, PRMT7, and PRMT9 in embryonic tissues, aiding future research.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs) regulate crucial cellular functions through arginine methylation of proteins.
- Understanding the spatio-temporal expression of PRMTs during embryogenesis is vital for elucidating their developmental roles.
Discussion:
- PRMT4 and PRMT7 show significant expression in neural crest, brain, spinal cord, eye, branchial arches, and heart during Xenopus tailbud stages.
- PRMT9 exhibits restricted expression, primarily in branchial arches, emerging only at the late tailbud stage.
- Quantitative RT-PCR confirms upregulation of PRMT4 and PRMT7 during the neurula stage, while PRMT9 remains at low levels until the late tailbud stage.
Key Insights:
- Differential expression patterns of PRMT4, PRMT7, and PRMT9 identified in Xenopus embryos.
- PRMT4 and PRMT7 expression correlates with neural and cardiac development.
- PRMT9 expression is limited and appears later in development, suggesting specific roles.
Outlook:
- These expression data provide a foundational resource for targeted functional studies of PRMT4, PRMT7, and PRMT9 in embryonic development.
- Further research can investigate the precise molecular mechanisms and functional significance of these PRMTs in Xenopus embryogenesis.
- Comparative studies across species could reveal conserved or divergent roles of PRMTs in vertebrate development.
Abstract:
Protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs) are involved in many cellular processes via the arginine methylation of histone or non-histone proteins. We examined the expression patterns of prmt4, prmt7, and prmt9 during embryogenesis in Xenopus using whole-mount in situ hybridization and quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Xenopus prmt4 and prmt7 were expressed in the neural crest, brain, and spinal cord, and also detected in the eye, branchial arches, and heart at the tailbud stage. Specific prmt9 signals were not detected in Xenopus embryos until the late tailbud stage when weak expression was observed in the branchial arches. Quantitative RT-PCR indicated that the expressions of prmt4 and prmt7 were up-regulated during the neurula stage, whereas prmt9 maintained its low expression until the late tailbud stage, consistent with the whole-mount in situ hybridization results. Thus, the developmental expression patterns of these three prmt genes in Xenopus embryos provide a basis for further functional study of such genes.
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