Int. J. Dev. Biol. 58: 45 - 50 (2014)

https://doi.org/10.1387/ijdb.130261jb

Vol 58, Issue 1

Expression pattern of zcchc24 during early Xenopus development

Developmental Expression Pattern | Published: 30 April 2014

Marta Vitorino^1,2, Elizabeth Correia^1,2, Ana-Rita Serralheiro², Ana-Catarina De-Jesus^1,2, José M. Inácio^1,2 and José A. Belo*^,1,2,3

¹Regenerative Medicine Program, Departamento de Ciências Biomédicas e Medicina, Universidade do Algarve, ² IBB-Institute for Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Centro de Biomedicina Molecular e Estrutural, Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, Faro and ³Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal.

Abstract

We report the expression pattern of a novel Xenopus laevis gene, zcchc24, which encodes a protein containing two zinc finger domains from the zf-CCHC and zf-3CxxC superfamilies. This protein shares >84% amino acid identity with its vertebrate homologues. During X. laevis embryonic development, zcchc24 is expressed at gastrula stages in the dorsal mesoderm, including the cardiac precursors region. During neurula stages, zcchc24 is expressed as two stripes in the dorsal region, more precisely, in the somitogenic mesoderm until the cardiac mesoderm. At early tailbud stages, zcchc24 continues to be expressed in these regions, but starts to be expressed in the migrating neural crest. Later, this gene is expressed in the head, branchial arches, heart and somites. The zinc finger domains present in Zcchc24 protein and its dynamic gene expression pattern suggest that Zcchc24 might be involved in the regulation of heart, somites and of branchial arch formation/patterning, namely in the regulation of apoptosis.

Keywords

zcchc24, zinc finger, heart development, somitogenic mesoderm, neural crest