Premium
In vivo analyzes of dystroglycan function during somitogenesis in Xenopus laevis
Author(s) -
Hidalgo Magdalena,
Sirour Cathy,
Bello Valérie,
Moreau Nicole,
Beaudry Michèle,
Darribère Thierry
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
developmental dynamics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.634
H-Index - 141
eISSN - 1097-0177
pISSN - 1058-8388
DOI - 10.1002/dvdy.21814
Subject(s) - somitogenesis , somite , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , morpholino , laminin , xenopus , dystroglycan , paraxial mesoderm , fibronectin , myogenesis , mesoderm , notochord , myocyte , gene knockdown , extracellular matrix , embryogenesis , genetics , cell culture , embryo , embryonic stem cell , gene
Dystroglycan (Dg) is a cell adhesion receptor for laminin that has been reported to play a role in skeletal muscle cell stability, cytoskeletal organization, cell polarity, and signaling. Here we show that Dg is expressed at both the notochord/somite and the intersomitic boundaries, where laminin and fibronectin are accumulated during somitogenesis. Inhibition of Dg function with morpholino antisense oligonucleotides or a dominant negative mutant results in the normal segmentation of the presomitic mesoderm but affects the number, the size, and the integrity of somites. Depletion of Dg disrupts proliferation and alignment of myoblasts without affecting XMyoD and XMRF4 expression. It also leads to defects in laminin deposition at the intersomitic junctions, whereas expression of integrin β1 subunits and fibronectin assembly occur normally. Our results show that Dg is critical for both proliferation and elongation of somitic cells and that the Dg‐cytoplasmic domain is required for the laminin assembly at the intersomitic boundaries. Developmental Dynamics 238:1332–1345, 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.