Analysis of the expression of microtubule plus-end tracking proteins ( plus TIPs) during Xenopus laevis embryogenesis

Abstract

Microtubules are a component of the cytoskeleton and are important for maintaining cell structure and providing platforms for intracellular transport in diverse cellular processes. Microtubule plus-end tracking proteins (+TIPs), a structurally and functionally diverse group of proteins, are specifically accumulated in the microtubule plus end and regulate dynamic microtubule behavior. We characterized the +TIPs, Clip1, p150(glued), Clasp1, Lis1 and Stim1, in Xenopus laevis and report their expression patterns during embryogenesis in this paper. All the five +TIP genes are maternally expressed and have similar expression patterns during Xenopus embryo development. The expression of +TIPs is localized in the animal hemisphere and ectoderm region at early stages of embryonic development. As development progresses to later stages, the ectodermal expression of +TIPs persists in head and neural tube structures. Clasp1, p150(glued) and Lis1 in particular are specifically expressed in the cranial nerves. Importantly, +TIPs are also expressed in the involuting mesoderm during gastrulation. This is the first study of developmental expression patterns of +TIPs, and our analysis provides insight that could serve as the basis for future research of microtubules in vertebrate development, cell movements during gastrulation and neurogenesis. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.