Essential role of glycoesphingolipids during Xenopus laevis embryogenesis

LUQUE M.E.; MÓNACO M.E.; SÁNCHEZ S.S.

Rosario, Santa Fé, Argentina

Congreso; XLII Anual Meeting Sociedad Argentina de Investigación en Bioquímica y Biología Molecular; 2006

Sociedad Argentina de Investigación en Bioquímica y Biología Molecular

Eukaryotic cells contain a heterogeneous class of lipids called glycosphingolipids (GSLs), these molecules are composed of ceramide backbone and a sugar headgroup. A pharmacological agent termed 1-phenyl-2-palmitoyl-3­morpholino-1-propanol (PPMP) is an important inhibitor of GSL biosynthesis, and is thus a useful tool for the study of the involvement of GSL in many cellular processes during embryo development. In this work we report the involvement of PPMP in cell behaviour of mesodermal and ectodermal layers in the amphibians Xenopus. laevis. In order to analize the expression of specific mesodermal (brachyury, goosecoid, paraxis) and neural (Sox2) markers, resin microspheres soaked in PPMP were implanted in the right side embryos at gastrula stage (st 11). We analysed by whole mount in situ hybridization the morphogenetic movements during gastrulation in normal and treated embryos. Our results show that specific inhibition of glycosphingolipid biosynthesis produces embryos with abnormal mesodermal cell migration and altered ectodermal radial interdigitation. The alterate morphogenetic movements are coupled with dynamic changes in gene expression. Further studies are necessary to determine if the changes in the expression of the genes analyzed turn the cell fate in the ectodermal and mesodermal layers.