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At least 505 records · Page 28Linked to original sources

PubMed1996

Effect of electrical stimulation on postmortem titin, nebulin, desmin, and troponin-T degradation and ultrastructural changes in bovine longissimus muscle.

Electrical stimulation (ES) of bovine carcasses is usually done to increase tenderness and has been hypothesized to increase the activity of proteolytic enzymes that may degrade structural proteins in muscle cells and cause fractures and breaks in muscle fibers, thus enhancing meat tenderness. Our objective was to compare postmortem (PM) changes in the muscle proteins, titin, nebulin, alpha-actinin, desmin, and troponin-T and in myofibrillar structure in nonstimulated (NS) and ES bovine skeletal muscle. One side of eight beef carcasses was stimulated within 1 h of death, and the other side was the NS control. Myofibrils for SDS-PAGE and samples for transmission electron microscopy were prepared from the longissimus muscle at 0, 1, 3, 7, 14, and 28 d PM. In SDS-PAGE, titin migrated as three bands in both NS and ES 0-d samples. The slowest migrating band, T1 (intact titin), decreased slightly faster in ES samples from five animals. The fastest migrating band, T2 (degraded titin), increased in amount through 3 d and was still present at 28 d. A titin monoclonal antibody (mAb) identified a large family of degradation products that migrated faster than myosin heavy chains and that was more heavily labeled in Western blots of ES samples than in NS samples. In SDS-PAGE of NS samples, intact nebulin disappeared by 3 d in three animals, by 7 d in four animals, and by 14 d in one animal, but in ES samples the nebulin band was absent by 3 d in three animals and by 7 d in five animals. SDS-PAGE showed that the amount of intact desmin decreased slightly sooner in two ES samples and was absent earlier in one ES sample than in the corresponding NS control samples. Blots labeled with a polyclonal antibody to desmin showed that a more heavily labeled 38-kDa desmin degradation product was present in ES than in NS samples. Postmortem degradation of alpha-actinin was not detected. Contraction node (CN) formation, stretching of conjoined sarcomeres adjacent to the nodes, increased frequency of I-band fractures and accelerated appearance of wide I-band fractures adjacent to the Z-line, and, in some animals, slightly accelerated degradation of titin, nebulin, and troponin-T were characteristics of ES muscle.

Actin Cytoskeleton↗

PubMed1997

Molecular analysis of porphobilinogen (PBG) deaminase gene mutations in acute intermittent porphyria: first study in patients of Slavic origin.

Acute intermittent porphyria (AIP) is an autosomally dominant inherited metabolic disorders caused by decreased activity of porphobilinogen deaminase, the third enzyme in the human heme biosynthetic pathway. We report here the first mutations in the human porphobilinogen deaminase gene in seven unrelated patients from the Czech and Slovak Republics with acute intermittent porphyria. We used denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis to screen all 15 exons and exon/intron boundaries of the porphobilinogen deaminase gene. Polymerase chain reaction products of abnormal migration patterns were subjected to direct sequencing to identify the causative mutations. Thus we revealed four novel mutations and three which have been previously described. Of the four novel mutations, two were mis-sense (G24S, V267M), one was a single base insertion (158insA) that produced a stop codon 12 codons downstream, and one was a single base substitution in intron 12 (771 + 1) resulting in a splicing defect. The three previously detected mutations were mis-sense mutations (R26C, R26H, G111R). These results suggest a high allelic heterogeneity in Czech and Slovak patients.

Aminolevulinic Acid↗

PubMed1975

Effect of Cs137 on immunological reactivity (review of literature).

An important role of Cs137 as a new ecological factor was shown by analyzing the works of 31 authors. This radioisotope may at present be deceted in the organisms of all the inhabitants of this planet. The migration of Cs137 along the chain lichen-deer-man leads to its accumulation in the organism of human subjects living in the Extreme North and utilizing venison in their diet. Although the high sensitivity of immunological reactions to various unfavourable environmental factors is well known, the materials on the effect of incorporated Cs137 on immunity are scanty, Experiments on animals have shown changes in factors of nonspecific immunity (phagocytic reaction of blood neutrophils, bactericidal activity, lysozyme and complement titres of blood serum) and specific immunity (formation of antiviral antibodies). The blood of animals injured by the isotope displays complete and incomplete autoantibodies. A dependance between the immunobiological changes and the dose absorbed by the organism was demonstrated. The entry of CS137 into the organism of the inhabitants of the Extreme North who use venison in their diet did not, with the absorbed dose equalling up to 50 Mrem per year, lead to changes in their immunological reactivity.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Phycobilisomes from the blue-green algae Aphanizomenon flos-aquae and Anabaena variabilis.

Phycobilisomes (PBS) were isolated from Aphanizomenon flos-aquae and Anabaena variabilis. The absorption spectra and second derivative of the absorption spectra of isolated PBS indicate the presence of phycoerythrocyanin, and allophycocyanin. The fluorescence spectra of PBS were measured at room temperature and -196 degrees C. Undamaged PBS have the principal fluorescence maximum in the region of 660 nm at room temperature and in the region of 685-690 nm at -196 degrees. When the PBS were heated from ) to 60 degrees the fluorescence at 685-690 nm disappeared and it increased in the region of 650-660 nm. This is apparently due to disruption of the structure of PBS, which results in a disturbance in the migration of energy along the chain phycoerythrocyanin leads to phycocyanin leads to allophycocyanin.

Cell Fractionation↗

PubMed1992

[Abnormalities of beta spectrin with hereditary elliptocytosis in mother and child].

It is generally considered that abnormality of the erythrocyte membrane skeleton co elliptocytes. There are, however, few reports of beta spectrin variants. We found a new variant of beta spectrin in a child and her mother. This report is the first case of abnormality of beta spectrin in Japan. The propositus was an 8 month-old girl who was first examined by us in 1988. On laboratory findings, she showed anemia, increased reticulocyte count and decreased haptoglobin concentration. Both peripheral blood smears of patient and her mother showed typical elliptocytosis and they were diagnosed as hereditary elliptocytosis. SDS-PAGE patterns of the red cell membranes of the propositus and her mother were characterized by the presence of an abnormal component migrating immediately below the spectrin chains. We confirmed that the abnormal spectrin appeared clearly at the expense of normal beta chain. The abnormal spectrin (M.W. 216,000d) makes up 16% of the total beta chain. The inheritance of our case was autosomal dominant. The present case is considered as a new spectrin variant.

Adult↗

PubMed1986

Antigen Der f I from the dust mite Dermatophagoides farinae: structural comparison with Der p I from Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and epitope specificity of murine IgG and human IgE antibodies.

The physicochemical and antigenic properties of an allergen purified from Dermatophagoides farinae, Der f I, were compared with Der p I from Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus. On SDS-PAGE, Der f I migrated as a single polypeptide chain with the same m.w. as Der p I (24,000). Two isoallergenic peaks of Der f I were identified on preparative isoelectric focusing (pI 5.7 to 6.3 and pI 6.6 to 6.95). Fractions from each peak were shown to have an identical amino acid composition (which was similar but not identical to Der p I) and the same N-terminal amino acid sequence. There was a good correlation between quantitative intradermal skin tests to both purified allergens and to D. farinae extract in mite-allergic patients, with positive results when using as little as 10(-5) micrograms/ml of Der f I. The majority of sera with detectable IgE antibody to D. farinae also had IgE antibody to Der f I both among children (29/42 = 69%) and adults (55/63 = 87%). By RAST, there was an excellent correlation between IgE antibody to Der f I and Der p I in sera from 42 mite-allergic children (n = 0.94, p less than 0.001). Polyclonal IgG antibodies from six mice immunized with Der f I showed preferential binding to that allergen, and most monoclonal antibodies (16 of 18) raised against Der f I did not bind Der p I. However, two monoclonal antibodies from this fusion showed cross-reactive binding to both allergens. Immunoabsorption experiments, using D. pteronyssinus and D. farinae extracts coupled to Sepharose, showed that a large proportion of murine antibodies (74% to Der p I and 60 to 93% to Der f I) could not be absorbed by the heterologous extract on the immunosorbent. In contrast, in sera from seven mite-allergic patients, most of the specific IgE and IgG antibody (i.e., greater than or equal to 82%) was removed by either immunosorbent. Thus, Der f I and Der p I represent a homologous pair of major allergens which possess both cross-reacting and species-specific epitopes. The antibody response in mice immunized with either allergen in complete Freund's adjuvant was largely directed against species-specific epitopes, whereas in allergic humans, IgE- and IgG-specific antibodies bound predominately to cross-reacting epitopes.

Allergens↗

PubMed1986

The human B cell-associated antigen CD24 is a single chain sialoglycoprotein.

The CD24 human B cell-associated antigen was originally characterized in this laboratory with the use of monoclonal antibody BA-1 combined with a standard radioimmuneprecipitation technique, and was reported to be a three chain glycoprotein complex of 45, 55, and 65 kilodaltons. We have compared our standard radioimmuneprecipitation technique (BA-1 ascites followed by rabbit anti-mouse IgM-coated protein A-Sepharose) to BA-1 conjugated directly to CNBr-Sepharose (BA-1-Sepharose) and report striking differences in the electrophoretic profile of CD24 immuneprecipitates. The CD24 immuneprecipitate obtained with BA-1-Sepharose showed a single broad band with a relative mobility of 42 kilodaltons. A series of experiments performed with the two immuneprecipitation techniques, reducing or nonreducing electrophoretic conditions, and addition of preformed mock BA-1 immuneprecipitate to BA-1-Sepharose immuneprecipitates convincingly demonstrated that the previously described 55 and 65 kilodalton components were artifacts caused by co-migration of CD24 with IgG and IgM heavy chains, respectively. Because of the consistent association and co-migration of CD24 with IgG heavy chains, we investigated the possibility that CD24 might be related to the 45 kilodalton Fc-gamma receptor expressed on B cells and eosinophils. We found, however, no evidence for such a relationship by cross adsorption analysis with BA-1-Sepharose and IgG-Sepharose.

Antigens, Differentiation, B-Lymphocyte↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Physicochemical properties of the RNA and proteins of an influenza virus H1N3 isolated from an ill child and antigenically analogous to A/whale/TO/19/76].

A comparative analysis of RNA and proteins of influenza A/Baku/799/82, A/whale/TO/19/76, and A/PR8/34 viruses was carried out. The viruses were shown to be similar in their polypeptide composition and oligopeptide maps of the heavy (HA1) and light (HA2) chains of hemagglutinin; in their migration properties of RNA fragments in polyacrylamide gel the A/Baku/799/82 and A/whale/TO/19/76 viruses were similar but not identical. Marked differences in the electrophoretic mobility in gel of RNA fragments coding for P proteins, HA, NP, and NA polypeptides were demonstrated. All these fragments of A/whale/TO/19/76 virus had higher electrophoretic mobility in gel. RNA fragments coding for M and NS proteins had a similar electrophoretic mobility. The A/Baku/799/82 and A/whale/TO/19/76 viruses differed considerably in migration properties of the RNA fragment coding for neuraminidase from the epidemic A/PR8/34 virus. In the latter, this fragment had a higher electrophoretic mobility in gel. Experiments of RNA-RNA hybridization demonstrated a high degree of homology of the primary structure of all RNA fragments of A/Baku/799/82 and A/whale/TO/19/76 viruses.

Animals↗

PubMed1984

Pathogenesis of tumor desmoplasia. II. Collagens synthesized by line 1 and line 10 guinea pig carcinoma cells and by syngeneic fibroblasts in vitro.

For the investigation of the pathogenesis of desmoplasia, the capacities to synthesize collagen in vitro of 2 bile duct carcinomas (lines 1 and 10) of Sewall-Wright inbred strain 2 guinea pigs and of syngeneic dermal fibroblasts were studied. Line 10 cells synthesized collagen type IV as judged by sensitivity to bacterial collagenase, by immunoprecipitation, by migration of pro alpha (IV) chains and pepsin-resistant fragments on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels, and by immunofluorescence. Line 1 cells also synthesized small amounts of collagenase-sensitive protein. Neither line 1 nor line 10 cells synthesized detectable collagen type I, III, or V. Only about 1% of [14C]proline incorporated by tumor cells was found in collagenase-sensitive protein. In contrast, dermal fibroblasts synthesized 4 and 128 times as much collagenase-sensitive protein as line 10 and line 1 cells, respectively, amounting to 20% of total protein synthesized. Fibroblasts produced mostly collagen types I and III, in a ratio of 7:1, and smaller amounts of collagen type V. Thus lines 1 and 10 carcinoma cells produce primarily basement membrane collagen, whereas interstitial collagens, abundant in desmoplastic tumor stroma, are fibroblast products.

Animals↗

PubMed1984

Immunoaffinity purification of bovine factor VII.

Factor VII has been purified to homogeneity from bovine plasma by a procedure that includes affinity purification on an immunoadsorbent column. Recovery was determined by both coagulant assay and liquid scintillation counting, using 3H-factor VII as an internal standard. The purification factor calculated by both methods was approximately 120,000-fold, with a final yield of approximately 18%. Homogeneity was assessed by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The material migrated as a single polypeptide chain of 53,000 daltons, and following activation by factor Xa, the one-chain zymogen was quantitatively converted to two-chain factor VIIa. Conversion of affinity-purified factor VII to factor VIIa resulted in up to a 119-fold activation of the coagulant activity, which is 2.7-4 times greater than the activatability reported for factor VII prepared by other methods. Zur et al. calculated that pure factor VII, uncontaminated by traces of factor VIIa, would be activated 123-fold upon conversion to factor VIIa. The close agreement between observed activatability of affinity-purified factor VII and the theoretical prediction suggests that we have isolated factor VII essentially free of factor VIIa. The purification data from three lots of bovine plasma yield an estimate for the plasma concentration of factor VII from 10.1 nM to 18.5 nM.

Animals↗

PubMed1980

Sciatin: purification and characterization of a myotrophic protein from chicken sciatic nerves.

A protein isolated from sciatic nerves of adult chickens promotes the morphological maturation and maintenance of embryonic avian skeletal muscle cells in the absence of innervation and is required for normal myogenesis in vitro. This trophic protein, sciatin, has been purified by ion exchange column chromatography on DEAE-cellulose followed by gel filtration on Sephadex G-100. Sciatin migrated as a single polypeptide chain of molecular weight 84,000 on sodium dodecyl sulfategel electrophoresis. The native molecular weight of sciatin as determined by sedimentation equilibrium centrifugation was 86,400. Amino acid analysis revealed that sciatin is relatively deficient in tryptophan, histidine, glycine, and arginine, but enriched in cysteine, methionine, alanine, and lysine. Carbohydrate determination showed that sciatin in composed of 11% sugar by weight with no detectable N-acetylneuraminic acid residues. Sedimentation velocity centrifugation studies revealed an S20,w0 of 5.11 with a frictional coefficient of 1.31. Sciatin had no detectable protease or acetylcholinesterase activity. The results of the present study provide new biochemical information on a macromolecule with biological activities similar to those expressed by the "maintenance" group of growth factors which includes such proteins as nerve growth factor.

Acetylcholinesterase↗

PubMed1976

Human platelet fibrinogen: a protein different from plasma fibrinogen.

Fibrinogen has been purified from normal and dysfibrinogenemia Metz plasmas, and from normal and from the patient's platelets. There are differences in the pattern of disc polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis between normal plasma and normal platelet fibrinogens, but the migration of the A alpha chain is similar. The abnormality of the electrophoretic mobility of the A alpha chain of plasma fibrinogen from Metz dysfibrinogenemia is not found in platelet fibrinogen of this patient. This result clearly establishes that platelet fibrinogen is a different protein from plasma fibrinogen.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[mRNA of mouse plasmacytoma. Reverse transcription and translation in cell-free systems].

Total poly(A)-mRNA from polyribosomes of MOPC 21 mouse myeloma were investigated. Poly(A)-mRNA was released by two successive chromatography on oligo (dT)-cellulose. A 14S fraction of total poly(A)-mRNA was obtained and partially purified by sucrose gradient centrifigation followed by acrylamide gel electrophoresis. As estimated from the electrophoretic analysis, the 14S mRNA has three components, one of which appears to be 18S rRNA and two others--mRNAs with molecular weight of 5.2.10(5) and 3.8.10(5), respectively. Total poly(A)-mRNA and partially purified 14S mRNA were active when employed as a template in a reverse transcription and cell-free system from wheat germ. DNA complementary to the 14S mRNA was prepared with avian myeloblastosis virus RNA-dependent DNA polymerase. This cDNA was heterogeneous in size with the average size of about 800 nucleotides when analyzed by gel electrophoresis in 98% formamide. The maximal length was about 1100 nucleotides that consistent with full template length. About half of the translation product directed by the 14S mRNA migrated as mature L-chain Ig (upon polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in sodium dodecylsulfate). The presented data suggested that 14S mRNA species contain mRNA L-chain Ig.

Animals↗

PubMed1998

Down-regulation of laminin-5 in breast carcinoma cells.

BACKGROUND: Laminin-5 (ln-5), a large heterotrimeric glycoprotein consisting of an alpha 3, beta 3, and gamma 2 chain, is a component of epithelial cell basement membranes that functions as a ligand of the alpha 3 beta 1 and alpha 6 beta 4 integrins to regulate cell adhesion, migration, and morphogenesis. The ln-5 chains show tissue-specific patterns of regulation in tumors derived from different tissues. For example, ln-5 is often up-regulated in gliomas, gastric carcinomas, and squamous carcinomas and down-regulated in prostate and basal cell carcinomas. Ln-5 expression patterns may represent useful tumor markers and help to elucidate the role of ln-5 in tumor progression in different tissue types. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We have studied ln-5 expression patterns in the breast. mRNA levels were examined in tumor and normal breast epithelial cell lines, tissue samples, and immunomagnetically sorted primary cultures using differential display, Northern blotting, and hybridization arrays. Protein levels were examined by immunoprecipitation. Gene integrity was assessed by Southern blotting of representative cell types. RESULTS: Ln-5 alpha 3, beta 3, and gamma 2 mRNA expression was found to be markedly down-regulated in a panel of breast tumor cell lines when compared with normal breast epithelial cells. Ln-5 mRNA was expressed at relatively high levels in MCF-10A immortal normal breast epithelial cells, long-term cultures of normal breast cells, and sorted primary cultures of normal breast luminal epithelial and myoepithelial cells. Reduced, but detectable, levels of ln-5 tended to be expressed in cell lines derived from early-stage breast tumors, whereas expression was generally not detected in cell lines derived from later-stage tumors. In breast tumor tissue specimens, expression of ln alpha 3 and beta 3 mRNAs tended to be reduced relative to levels observed in adjacent nontumor tissue, whereas in gamma 2 levels were elevated in specimens with increased amounts of myoepithelial cells. These ln-5 expression changes could not be attributed to large-scale mutations or gene rearrangements. Ln-5 protein levels were found to reflect mRNA levels in representative cell lines. At senescence, a growth state believed to suppress tumorigenesis, expression of all three ln-5 mRNAs was up-regulated. CONCLUSION: The down-regulation of ln-5 mRNA expression in breast tumors cells provides a new molecular marker and suggests that ln-5 functions to control tumor progression in the breast.

Breast↗

PubMed2004

Expression and functional role of CCR9 in prostate cancer cell migration and invasion.

PURPOSE: Metastasis is responsible for most cancer-related deaths; hence, therapies designed to minimize metastasis are greatly needed. The precise cellular and molecular mechanisms used by cancer cells for metastasis are not fully understood; however, the metastatic spread of neoplastic cells is probably related to the ability of these cells to migrate, invade, home, and survive locally. The migration of tumor cells shares many similarities with leukocyte trafficking, which is regulated by chemokine receptor-ligand interactions. The current study evaluates the molecular mechanisms of CCL25 and CCR9 in prostate cancer cell migration and invasion. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: In the current study, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, flow cytometry analysis, and in vitro migration as well as invasion chamber analysis (with and without antibody-mediated inhibition) were used to ascertain the biological and functional significance of CCR9 expression by normal prostatic epithelial cells (PrEC) or prostate cancer cell lines (LNCaP-10995 and PC3). RESULTS: We report that functional CCR9 is highly expressed by LNCaP cells and modestly, yet significantly, expressed by PC3 cells when compared with PrEC cells. Neutralization of CCL25-CCR9 interactions impaired the migration and invasion potential of the LNCaP and PC3 cell lines. CCL25 differentially modulated the expression of collagenase-1 or matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1, collagenase-3 (MMP-13), stromalysin-2 (MMP-10), stromalysin-3 (MMP-11), and gelatinase-A (MMP-2), but not MMP-3, MMP-7, MMP-8, MMP-9, MMP-12, or MMP-14 in prostate cancer cells. CONCLUSIONS: These studies suggest that the expression and activation of CCR9 affect cancer cell migration, invasion, and MMP expression, which together may affect prostate cancer metastasis.

Adenocarcinoma↗

PubMed1988

A role for human heavy chain binding protein in the developmental regulation of immunoglobin transport.

Human EBV transformed lymphoblastoid cell lines and lymphomas representing various stages of B cell development were examined for heavy chain binding protein (BiP) expression and its association with immunoglobin (Ig) heavy chains. Human BiP was shown to migrate with an apparent mol. wt of 79,000 and to have a pI of approximately 5.5 in all the human cell lines examined. Both the mum and the mus heavy chains synthesized in a pre-B cell line (mu+, LC-) remained associated with BiP and were all found to be endo H sensitive, suggesting that this association occurred in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Surface Ig+ B cell lines produce membrane type heavy chains which are expressed on the cell surface and secretory type heavy chains which remain intracellular. The membrane type mu heavy chains produced by a surface Ig+ B cell line were not associated with BiP after assembling with light chains and processing in the Golgi. However, the secretory type mu heavy chains synthesized by these same cells did not combine efficiently with LC and a significant quantity remained associated with BiP and were not secreted suggesting that BiP is involved in the divergent transport of membrane and secretory mu heavy chains in surface Ig+ B cell lines. In Ig secreting plasmacytoid lines the heavy chains were only associated with BiP prior to assembling with LC. When LC assembly was inhibited, the association of heavy chains with BiP was prolonged and Ig secretion was blocked. Therefore, BiP was found to participate in the post-translational processing of mu heavy chains synthesized by human lymphoid cell lines representing all stages of B cell development. Further, heavy chains that remained associated with BiP were not transported to the cell surface or secreted while heavy chains that were only transiently associated with BiP chains were expressed on the cell surface or secreted.

B-Lymphocytes↗

PubMed1984

A mutant of fowl plague virus (influenza A) with an altered glycosylation pattern in its hemagglutinin.

A temperature-sensitive mutant (ts 1/1) with a defect in the hemagglutinin (HA) gene, which was obtained by undiluted passage of fowl plague virus (FPV) at 33 degrees, is described. At 33 degrees proteolytic cleavage of the abnormal HA yielded an altered HA2 (XHA2) which migrated ahead of the NS1 protein and lacked the complex oligosaccharide side chain. At the nonpermissive temperature of 40 degrees, the migration of the HA of ts 1/1 from the rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) via the Golgi apparatus to the cell surface was rate limiting for virus maturation. The HA was only slowly cleaved and migrated during polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis ahead of the HA of wild type FPV. Some revertants of ts 1/1 exhibited the same protein pattern as the mutant, others resembled wild type FPV, while one revertant gave rise to a mixture of HA2 and XHA2 at 40 degrees. These results suggest that (1) the loss of the complex oligosaccharide side chain is not responsible for the ts phenotype, (2) the mutation is presumably not at the site where the oligosaccharide side chain is linked to the protein backbone, and (3) ts 1/1 presumably carries a mutation located in RNA segment 4, which by pseudoreversion (suppressor mutation) in the same gene leads to different ts+ phenotypes.

Animals↗

PubMed2000

The spatial and temporal expression patterns of netrin receptors, DCC and neogenin, in the developing mouse retina.

Recently it has been demonstrated that the guidance of retinal ganglion cell (rgc) axons through the optic disc is dependent on the DCC/netrin-1 axonal guidance system. To gain further insight into the function of the netrin receptors, DCC and Neogenin, in retinal development we have studied the expression patterns of these receptors in the embryonic mouse retina. Neogenin mRNA was restricted to a single neural cell type, the rgc. However, strong Neogenin mRNA expression was observed in the extending fiber cells of the developing lens suggesting a role for Neogenin in the migration events shaping the early lens. Our studies demonstrated that DCC mRNA was expressed at high levels in chains of closely opposed neurons as they migrated towards the emerging mantle layer in the early retina (E12.5-E13.5) suggesting a role for DCC in the migration of neurons out of the ventricular zone. DCC protein expression was high on rgc axons as they actively navigated through the optic disc into the optic nerve. At birth, when the majority of rgc axons had projected through the optic disc, DCC protein was no longer detectable on the distal axonal segments within the optic nerve despite significant DCC protein expression on the proximal axonal membranes in the nerve fiber layer. These observations suggest that a localized down-regulation of DCC protein occurs on projecting axonal membranes once the DCC guidance function is no longer required. We also demonstrated that DCC mRNA and protein were expressed by amacrine cells and Müller glial cells while DCC mRNA was detected in horizontal cells. Taken together, these expression patterns suggest a role for DCC in axon outgrowth and/or pathfinding for a variety of retinal neurons and in the migration of newly born neurons within the developing retina.

Animals↗