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Regulation of vertebrate embryogenesis by the exon junction complex core component Eif4a3
Author(s) -
Haremaki Tomomi,
Sridharan Jyotsna,
Dvora Shira,
Weinstein Daniel C.
Publication year - 2010
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.22330
Subject(s) - biology , gene knockdown , xenopus , microbiology and biotechnology , exon , rna binding protein , genetics , gene , rna
The establishment and maintenance of cellular identity are ultimately dependent upon the accurate regulation of gene expression, the process by which genetic information is used to synthesize functional gene products. The post‐transcriptional, pre‐translational regulation of RNA constitutes RNA processing, which plays a prominent role in the modulation of gene expression in differentiated animal cells. The multi‐protein Exon Junction Complex (EJC) serves as a critical signaling hub within the network that underlies many RNA processing events. Here, we identify a requirement for the EJC during early vertebrate embryogenesis. Knockdown of the EJC component Eukaryotic initiation factor 4a3 (Eif4a3) in embryos of the frog Xenopus laevis results in full‐body paralysis, with defects in sensory neuron, pigment cell, and cardiac development; similar phenotypes are seen following knockdown of other “core” EJC protein constituents. Our studies point to an essential role for the EJC in the development of neural plate border derivatives. Developmental Dynamics 239:1977–1987, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.