Int. J. Dev. Biol. 50: 473 - 479 (2006)

https://doi.org/10.1387/ijdb.052138ak

Vol 50, Issue 5

Bowline, a novel protein localized to the presomitic mesoderm, interacts with Groucho/TLE in Xenopus

Open Access | Original Article | Published: 1 April 2006

Akiko Kondow¹, Keisuke Hitachi¹, Tempei Ikegame¹ and Makoto Asashima*^,1,2

¹Department of Life Science (Biology), Graduate School of Arts & Science, The University of Tokyo, Japan and ²ICORP, Japan Science and Technology Agency, (JST), Tokyo, Japan

Abstract

Cells in the prospective somite of Xenopus laevis embryos rotate in an orchestrated manner to form a segregated somite. The prospective somite boundaries are prepatterned by gene expressions in the unsegmented presomitic mesoderm (PSM). However, the roles of polarized gene expression in this boundary formation are not well elucidated. Here we identified a novel gene, bowline, which localizes to the anterior halves of S-II, III in the PSM of X. laevis. Bowline associated with corepressor XGrg-4, a Xenopus homolog of Groucho/TLE protein. A WRPW tetrapeptide motif in Bowline was prerequisite for coprecipitation with XGrg-4 and for downregulation of X-Delta-2 by bowline RNA injection. This study indicates that Bowline is a novel protein interacting with Groucho/TLE and may play a role in somitogenesis in X. laevis.

Keywords

Xenopus laevis, somitogenesis, presomitic mesoderm, XGrg-4, Groucho/TLE, X-Delta-2