PUBLICATION

Dynamic and tissue-specific expression of elF4E during zebrafish embryogenesis

Authors
Fahrenkrug, S.C., Dahlquist, M.O., Clark, K.J., and Hackett, P.B.
ID
ZDB-PUB-000126-6
Date
1999
Source
Differentiation; research in biological diversity   65(4): 191-201 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Clark, Karl, Fahrenkrug, Scott C., Hackett, Perry B.
Keywords
none
MeSH Terms
  • Alternative Splicing
  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Base Sequence
  • Cloning, Molecular
  • Eukaryotic Initiation Factor-4E
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental/genetics*
  • In Situ Hybridization
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Peptide Initiation Factors/genetics*
  • Protein Biosynthesis
  • RNA, Messenger/metabolism
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Ribonucleases
  • Somites/metabolism
  • Transcription, Genetic
  • Zebrafish/embryology*
PubMed
10653355 Full text @ Differentiation
Abstract
The regulation of protein synthesis is critical to diverse cellular processes and plays a pivotal role in regulating gene expression during embryogenesis. The cap-binding protein eIF4E is a translational factor whose activity appears to be both ubiquitous and central to the regulation of protein synthesis in all cell-types. As a cell-cycle regulator, mesoderm inducer and proto-oncogene, the amount and activity of the translational factor eIF4E must be under strict control, but the range of its expression and its concentration as a function of position and time in the developing embryo are unknown. Consequently, we have initiated studies to elucidate the expression of the eIF4E gene and its role in the regulating embryonic development. We have cloned a zebrafish gene encoding eIF4E, zeIF4E, and measured its developmental expression. Unexpectedly, we found that the zeIF4E gene produces two alternatively spliced transcripts that potentially encode different forms of the initiation factor. Molecular analyses and in situ hybridization reveal a potential role for eIF4E in regulating protein synthesis during vertebrate oogenesis, gastrulation, and erythropoiesis. The dynamic and asymmetric expression of eIF4E during zebrafish embryogenesis reveals that this ostensibly general translation factor may act as a tissue-specific translational enhancer.
Genes / Markers
Figures
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Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping