Project description:It was shown that neil2 is required for neural crest development in Xenopus (Schomacher et al. 2016; doi:10.1038/nsmb.3151). To gain further insights into the underlying molecular mechanism leading to neural crest defects and microcephaly in neil2 Morpholino injected Xenopus embryos, we performed RNA-seq transcriptome analysis of neil2 Morpholino versus control Morpholino injected embryos.
Project description:This dataset includes the files for N-glycoproteome analysis of early and late stage Xenopus laevis embyros, as well as the N-glycome during Xenopus laevis embryogenesis
Project description:The Notch signaling pathway functions in a number of processes during embryologic development, especially the maintenance or aquisition of cell fate. We purturb the Notch signalling pathway in embryonic Xenopus laevis in order to 1) better characterize the downstream targets of Notch signalling, and 2) determine the extent to which early embryos can recover from transient purturbations to critical signalling pathways, if at all. Xenopus laevis embryos were unilaterally injected at the two cell stage with either GFP, GFP and ICD (Notch intracellular domain, an up-regulator of the Notch pathway), or GFP and DBM (domain-binding mutant, a downregulator of the Notch pathway). At stages 18, 28, and 38, for each injection, pooled total RNA from 10 embryos was extracted. Extraction was performed for three biological replicates for each time/injection condition. cDNA from total RNA was hybridized on Affymetrix Xenopus laevis Genome 2.0 arrays.
Project description:We implemented a functional genomics approach as a means to undertake a large-scale analysis of the Xenopus laevis inner ear transcriptome through microarray analysis. Microarray analysis uncovered genes within the X. laevis inner ear transcriptome associated with inner ear function and impairment in other organisms, thereby supporting the inclusion of Xenopus in cross-species genetic studies of the inner ear. Gene expression analysis of Xenopus laevis juvenile inner ear tissue. Inner ear RNA isolated from three groups of 5-10 juvenile X. laevis. Each biological replicate represents pooled inner ear RNA from 10-19 inner ears.
Project description:Pregnane X receptor (PXR) is generally considered the most important sensor of natural and anthropogenic xenobiotics in vertebrates. In Xenopus, however, PXR plays a role in neural development and it is irresponsive to xenobiotics. We report a first broad-spectrum amphibian xenobiotic receptor, which is an ortholog of the mammalian constitutive androstane receptor (CAR). The low basal activity and pronounced responsiveness to activators such as drugs and steroids displayed by the Xenopus CAR resemble PXR, which both trace back to a common ancestor early in the divergence of land vertebrates. The constitutive activity of CAR emerged first in Sauropsida (reptiles and birds) and it is common to all fully terrestrial land vertebrates (Amniota). This activity can be mimicked by humanizing just two amino acids of the Xenopus CAR. These results demonstrate a remarkable plasticity of CAR which enabled its employment as Xenopus xenosensors. They open way to toxicogenomic and bioaugmentation studies in amphibians, a critically endangered taxon of land vertebrates. Taken together, we provide evidence for a much earlier origin of CAR, for its conservation in tetrapods which exceeds that of PXR, and for its remarkable functional plasticity which enabled its role as a PXR-like xenosensor in Amphibia. We used microarrays to detect global transcriptional changes in Xenopus laevis livers following pregnenolone and artemisinin treatment in order to identify target genes of xlCAR. Arteminisin or pregnenolone were injected intraperitoneally into three frogs on two consecutive days. The control group received in parallel two DMSO injections. All frogs were sacrificed 24 h after the second injection by decapitation, and livers were immediately frozen in liquid nitrogen. After RNA isolation, specimens within the same experimental group were pooled.