Cell-adhesion glycoprotein vitronectin during Xenopus laevis embryogenesis

LUQUE M. E.; SERRANO M. A.; HONORÉ S. M.; SÁNCHEZ S. S.

Villa Carlos Paz, Córdoba. Argentina

Congreso; XLIV Annual Meeting- Argentine Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; 2008

Sociedad Argentina de Bioquimica y Biologia Molecular (SAIB)

Vitronectin (VN) is a cell-adhesive glycoprotein present in blood and extracellular matrix of all vertebrates. Interestingly, we reported the presence of VN in yolk platelets during amphibian oogenesis.We demonstrated that maternal VN does not participate in the morphogenetic movements during amphibian gastrulation.We cloned Xenopus VN cDNA in order to determinate the zygotic expression. The temporal expression of VN was analyzed by RT-PCR, and the transcripts were detected from stage 28 onward. The spatial expression was determined by whole mount in situ hybridization. At tadpole stages, VN is expressed in heart, liver and foregut. The immunohistochemistry staining revealed that VN was located in heart, liver, foregut and pronephros at stages 43 and 47 of Xenopus embryos. In adult tissues, VN transcripts were observed in liver and kidney.In coincidence with our results, VN was found in the developing chick heart and was involved in the migration of endocardial cells. Also, VN and Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) morphogen act synergistically in the induction of avian motoneurons in embryonic neural tube. However, we have not found VN and Shh colocalization in amphibian embryos.The temporal and spatial VN expression in amphibians let us to suggest that this extracellular matrix glycoprotein could participate during organogenesis, however further work is required to precise its role.