Journal of Biochemistry Advance Access originally published online on February 13, 2007
Journal of Biochemistry 2007 141(4):479-488; doi:10.1093/jb/mvm048
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
© 2007 The Japanese Biochemical Society.
Identification of Novel Members of the Xenopus Ca2+-dependent Lectin Family and Analysis of Their Gene Expression During Tail Regeneration and Development
1Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Tokyo; 2Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033; and 3National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, an Independent Administrative Institution, 1-2 Ohwashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan
To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel. +81-3-5841-4446, Fax: +81-3-5841-4447, E-mail: stkubo{at}biol.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp
Received October 19, 2006; Accepted January 20, 2007
 |
Abstract |
|---|
We previously demonstrated that the gene for a member of the humoral C-type lectin family is transiently expressed in the regenerating legs of the American cockroach [Arai et al., Insect Biochem. Mol. Biol. 28, 987–994 (1998)]. To identify candidate lectin(s) involved in tail regeneration in the Xenopus laevis tadpole, we isolated a 35-kDa Ca2+-dependent lectin (XCL-1) from adult Xenopus serum and cloned its cDNA. Although XCL-1 gene expression was not induced in the regenerating tails, we isolated a cDNA for an XCL-1-related protein (XCL-2) by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. In contrast to the XCL-1 gene, XCL-2 gene expression was significantly increased in the regenerating tails, suggesting its role in tail regeneration. Although both XCL-1 and XCL-2 belong to a recently identified Xenopus lectin family (X-lectins), XCL-1 and XCL-2 exhibit distinct developmental gene expression from two other known X-lectin members, both of which are expressed principally in the embryonic stage, whereas the XCL-1 and XCL-2 genes are predominantly expressed in the adult and middle/late tadpole stages, respectively, suggesting multiple functions of X-lectin family members. Thus, the presence of multifunctional Ca2+-dependent lectin family and the induction of the member gene in regenerating organs are conserved among insects and vertebrates.
Key Words: development, gene expression, regeneration, serum lectin, Xenopus laevis
Abbreviations:
EF-1
, elongation factor 1; PCR, polymerase chain reaction; RACE, rapid amplification of cDNA ends; RT, reverse transcription
*The authors wish it to be known that, in their opinion, the first two authors should be regarded as joint First Authors.
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  R. I. Fleming, C. D. Mackenzie, A. Cooper, and M. W. Kennedy Foam nest components of the tungara frog: a cocktail of proteins conferring physical and biological resilience Proc R Soc B, May 22, 2009; 276(1663): 1787 - 1795. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|