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Int J Dev Biol
2016 Jan 01;604-6:175-9. doi: 10.1387/ijdb.160045mo.
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Platelet derived growth factor B gene expression in the Xenopus laevis developing central nervous system.
Giannetti K
,
Corsinovi D
,
Rossino C
,
Appolloni I
,
Malatesta P
,
Ori M
.
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Platelet-derived growth factor B (PDGF-B) belongs to the mitogen and growth factor family and like the other members it has many roles in cell differentiation, proliferation and migration during development, adult life and in pathological conditions. Among them it has been observed that aberrant PDGF signalling is frequently linked to glioma development and progression, and Pdgf-b over-expression in mouse neural progenitors leads to the formation of gliomas. Despite this evidence, the mechanisms underlying PDGF-B driven tumorigenesis and its role during brain development are not fully understood. In order to contribute to clarifying possible new roles of pdgf-b signalling, we present here the embryonic gene expression pattern of pdgf-b, so far unknown in early vertebrate development. By using Xenopus laevis as a model system we performed qRT-PCR and whole mount in situ hybridization. Pdgf-b mRNA is expressed in discrete regions of the developing central nervous system, in the cranial nerve placodes and in the notochord. We also compared the gene expression of pdgf-b with that of its receptor pdgfr-α suggesting so far unsuspected roles for this signalling pathway during the development of specific embryonic structures.
Fig. 2. The temporal expression pattern of pdgfb revealed by qRT-PCR.
Expression levels (y axis) of pdgf-b (red) and its receptor pdgfr-a (blue) at
different developmental stages (x axis) were analyzed by qRT-PCR. The
data are an average of three independent experiments, the values were
normalized to odc and presented as mean ± s.d. Expression of pdgf-b
mRNA reaches its maximum level as maternal transcript (stage 3), then
drastically decreases during gastrulation (stage 10,5). A slight increase
is observed during early neurulation (stage 13), however the expression
becomes more robust at late neurula stage (stage 20) to decrease again
in tailbud stages. Pdgfr-a,is barely detectable at stage 3 and then rise
firmly already during gastrulation, reaching its maximum level at stage 20.
Fig. 3 (right). Pdgf-b spatial expression pattern during early stages of
development in Xenopus laevis embryos. (A) Pdgf-b maternal transcript
is distributed in the animal pole (arrow) at four cell stage (stage 3), lateral
view. (B) Lateral view of a stage 10,5 embryo showing the pdgf-b mRNA
localization in the animal pole of the embryo (arrow). (Bâ) Bisected gastrula
showing the pdgf-b expression confined within the deep layer of the ectodermal
blastocoel roof (arrowheads). (A*)WISH performed using a pdgf-b
sense riboprobe on a stage 3 embryo, lateral view. (B*) Stage 10,5 lateral
view WISH using the pdgf-b sense riboprobe: no signal is detected in the
animal pole. (Bâ*) Bisected gastrula showing no unspecific labelling of the
blastocoel cavity using the pdgf-b sense riboprobe. (C) Late neurula,(stage
20) embryo frontal view. Pdgf-b mRNA is localized in the CNS (midbrainâ
hindbrain region: black and red arrowheads: the most ventralanterior region
of neural tube: yellow arrow), the placode of the facial nerve (black arrow)
and the notochord (inset). (D) Stage 20 frontal view double WISH: pdgf-b
signal revealed in purple (black and red arrowheads), engrailed2 labelling
the midbrain-hindbrain boundary and rombomere 1, in light blue. The two
signals overlaps at the level of rhombomere 1. (E) Stage 20 frontal view
double WISH: pdgf-b signal in purple (black and red arrowheads), krox20 labelling rhombomeres 3 (R3) and 5 (R5), in light blue. The two signals overlaps faintly at the level of rhombomere 3. (F) Double WISH using twist, a
NCC marker in light blue. NCC are in close proximity of the pdgf-b expression domain but never overlap it. (G) Double WISH using pdgfr-a in light blue.
Pdgfr-a is expressed in migrating NCC. (H) Frontal view of an embryo processed with double WISH using rx1, a marker for the eyefield (dashed oval),
revealing a partial overlap of the pdgf-b signal (yellow arrow) with an anterior and ventral domain of the eyefield.
Fig. 4. Pdgf-b expression spatial distribution in Xenopus
laevis embryo at tailbud stage.(A)Pdgf-b mRNAis present
in the hindbrain (R1 and R3), the most ventral anterior
region of the developing CNS (yellow arrow), the placode
of the facial nerve (black arrow) and the notochord (inset,
green arrowhead). (B-E) Double WISH was performed using
different markers (the color code is described in Fig.3)
at tailbud stage (stage 25). (B) Lateral view of an embryo
processed by double WISH using twist as NCC marker.
(C) Pdgfr-a is expressed by NCC, in close proximity with
the pdgf-b mRNA expression domain. (D-Dâ) Frontal and
lateral views of the same embryo labelled to visualize rx1,
a retinal marker (dashed oval identifies the eyefield) and
pdgf-b. (E) A sagittal view of a half embryo bisected along
the antero-posterior axis shows the expression of pdgf-b
in the ventraltelencephalon.