PUBLICATION

Expression and phylogeny of claudins in vertebrate primordia

Authors
Kollmar, R., Nakamura, S.K., Kappler, J.A., and Hudspeth, A.J.
ID
ZDB-PUB-010912-21
Date
2001
Source
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America   98(18): 10196-10201 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Hudspeth, A.J. (Jim), Kappler, James A., Kollmar, Richard
Keywords
none
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Base Sequence
  • Biological Evolution
  • DNA Primers/genetics
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
  • In Situ Hybridization
  • Male
  • Membrane Proteins/genetics*
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Multigene Family
  • Mutation
  • Phylogeny
  • Vertebrates/embryology
  • Vertebrates/genetics
  • Zebrafish/embryology*
  • Zebrafish/genetics*
PubMed
11517306 Full text @ Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA
Abstract
Claudins, the major transmembrane proteins of tight junctions, are members of the tetraspanin superfamily of proteins that mediate cellular adhesion and migration. Their functional importance is demonstrated by mutations in claudin genes that eliminate tight junctions in myelin and the testis, abolish Mg(2+) resorption in the kidney, and cause autosomal recessive deafness. Here we report that two paralogs among 15 claudin genes in the zebrafish, Danio rerio, are expressed in the otic and lateral-line placodes at their earliest stages of development. Related claudins in amphibians and mammals are expressed in a similar manner in vertebrate primordia such as sensory placodes, branchial arches, and limb buds. We also show that the claudin gene family may have expanded along the chordate stem lineage from urochordates to gnathostomes, in parallel with the elaboration of vertebrate characters. We propose that tight junctions not only form barriers in mature epithelia, but also participate in vertebrate morphogenesis.
Genes / Markers
Figures
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Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping