Int. J. Dev. Biol. 55: 313 - 319 (2011)

https://doi.org/10.1387/ijdb.103240lv

Vol 55, Issue 3

Co-localization of neural cell adhesion molecule and fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 in early embryo development

Open Access | Short Communication | Published: 27 May 2011

Liselotte Vesterlund*^,1, Virpi Töhönen¹, Outi Hovatta² and Juha Kere^1,3,4

¹Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden, ²Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden, ³Folkhälsan Institute of Genetics, Helsinki, Finland and ⁴Department of Medical Genetics, University of Helsinki, Finland.

Abstract

During development there is a multitude of signaling events governing the assembly of the developing organism. Receptors for signaling molecules such as fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) enable the embryo to communicate with the surrounding environment and activate downstream pathways. The neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) was first characterized as a cell adhesion molecule highly expressed in the nervous system, but recent studies have shown that it is also a signaling receptor. Using a novel single oocyte adaptation of the proximity ligation assay, we here show a close association between NCAM and FGFR2 in mouse oocytes and 2-cell embryos. Real-time PCR analyses revealed the presence of messenger RNA encoding key proteins in downstream signaling pathways in oocytes and early mouse embryos. In summary these findings show a co-localization of NCAM and FGFR2 in early vertebrate development with intracellular signaling pathways present to enable a cellular response.

Keywords

NCAM, FGFR2, mouse, PLA, development