Early embryonic lethality of mice lacking ZO-2, but Not ZO-3, reveals critical and nonredundant roles for individual zonula occludens proteins in mammalian development.

ABSTRACT: ZO-1, ZO-2, and ZO-3 are closely related scaffolding proteins that link tight junction (TJ) transmembrane proteins such as claudins, junctional adhesion molecules, and occludin to the actin cytoskeleton. Even though the zonula occludens (ZO) proteins are among the first TJ proteins to have been identified and have undergone extensive biochemical analysis, little is known about the physiological roles of individual ZO proteins in different tissues or during vertebrate development. Here, we show that ZO-3 knockout mice lack an obvious phenotype. In contrast, embryos deficient for ZO-2 die shortly after implantation due to an arrest in early gastrulation. ZO-2(-)(/)(-) embryos show decreased proliferation at embryonic day 6.5 (E6.5) and increased apoptosis at E7.5 compared to wild-type embryo

SUBMITTER: Xu J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2258782 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature