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Expression and Function of Ccbe1 in the Chick Early Cardiogenic Regions Are Required for Correct Heart Development
Publication . Furtado, João; Bento, Margaret; Correia, Elizabeth; Inácio, José Manuel; Belo, José António; A. Belo, José; Centro de Estudos de Doenças Crónicas (CEDOC); NOVA Medical School|Faculdade de Ciências Médicas (NMS|FCM); PLOS - Public Library of Science
During the course of a differential screen to identify transcripts specific for chick heart/hemangioblast precursor cells, we have identified Ccbe1 (Collagen and calcium-binding EGF-like domain 1). While the importance of Ccbe1 for the development of the lymphatic system is now well demonstrated, its role in cardiac formation remained unknown. Here we show by whole-mount in situ hybridization analysis that cCcbe1 mRNA is initially detected in early cardiac progenitors of the two bilateral cardiogenic fields (HH4), and at later stages on the second heart field (HH9-18). Furthermore, cCcbe1 is expressed in multipotent and highly proliferative cardiac progenitors. We characterized the role of cCcbe1 during early cardiogenesis by performing functional studies. Upon morpholino-induced cCcbe1 knockdown, the chick embryos displayed heart malformations, which include aberrant fusion of the heart fields, leading to incomplete terminal differentiation of the cardiomyocytes. cCcbe1 overexpression also resulted in severe heart defects, including cardia bifida. Altogether, our data demonstrate that although cardiac progenitors cells are specified in cCcbe1 morphants, the migration and proliferation of cardiac precursors cells are impaired, suggesting that cCcbe1 is a key gene during early heart development.
Expression pattern of zcchc24 during early Xenopus development
Publication . Vitorino, Marta; Correia, Elizabeth; Serralheiro, Ana Rita; De-Jesus, Ana Catarina; Inácio, José M.; Belo, José A.; A. Belo, José; NOVA Medical School|Faculdade de Ciências Médicas (NMS|FCM); Univeristy of the Basque Country Press; 1999
We report the expression pattern of a novel Xenopus laevis gene, zcchc24, which encodes a protein containing two zinc finger domains from the zf-CCHC and zf-3CxxC superfamilies. This protein shares >84% amino acid identity with its vertebrate homologues. During X. laevis embryonic development, zcchc24 is expressed at gastrula stages in the dorsal mesoderm, including the cardiac precursors region. During neurula stages, zcchc24 is expressed as two stripes in the dorsal region, more precisely, in the somitogenic mesoderm until the cardiac mesoderm. At early tailbud stages, zcchc24 continues to be expressed in these regions, but starts to be expressed in the migrating neural crest. Later, this gene is expressed in the head, branchial arches, heart and somites. The zinc finger domains present in Zcchc24 protein and its dynamic gene expression pattern suggest that Zcchc24 might be involved in the regulation of heart, somites and of branchial arch formation/patterning, namely in the regulation of apoptosis.
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Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
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SFRH
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SFRH/BPD/41081/2007