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FIG. 1. Xenopus LTBP-1 sequence and analysis. (A) Primary sequence of the short form of Xenopus LTBP-1 and its translation product.
Primers used to isolate the cDNA are indicated by arrows. Red arrows indicate the RT-PCR primers. Color key: yellow boxes indicate EGF-like domains predicted by SMART with the domains separated by red boxes; red text indicates RGD cell binding site; gray box is the
signal sequence; green box is the signal cleavage site; blue boxes are cysteine-rich repeats; the black box indicates the location of the
25-amino-acid deletion GTNSFGESNNDSLLNTFSPSVTHDNT. (B) Diagram of Xenopus LTBP-1 indicating the domain structure. (C)
Sequence alignment of Xenopus, human, and mouse LTBP-1. Conserved residues are boxed. Blue text indicates amino acids conserved
between two of the three species. Bold text indicates amino acid similarity.
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FIG. 2. RT-PCR analysis of Xenopus LTBP-1 expression. Temporal
expression of Xenopus LTBP-1. The two alternative forms are
detected by using a single primer pair indicated in Fig. 1A.
Transcripts are detected after 25 cycles. ODC is a loading control.
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FIG. 3. In situ hybridization of Xenopus LTBP-1. (AâJ) In situ hybridization. (A): Stage 10.5 (gastrula). Expression of xLTBP-1 is detected
within the organizer region. (B) A section (depicted by the line âiâ in A) shows expression is restricted to the dorsal mesoderm of the
organizer (*). (C) Stage 20. Expression of xLTBP-1 in the spinal cord. No expression is seen in the anterior neural plate at this stage.
Anterior/ventral is to the right. (D) Stage 25. Transcripts can be detected throughout the spinal cord region but still not in anterior domains.
(E) A section through the embryo at the level of the spinal cord (indicated by the line âiiâ in D); xLTBP-1 RNA expression is seen throughout
the neural tube but not in the notochord at this stage. (F) Expression is also detected in the lateral plate mesoderm, Stage 28. Expression
is seen in the tail, throughout the spinal cord and in the hindbrain. (G) Transverse section through the spinal cord (âiiiâ in F); xLTBP-1 RNA
is expressed in the mesoderm lateral to the neural tube, in the notochord and in both the roof (white arrow) and floor plates (black arrow).
(H) Midsagital section through the head (line âivâ in F). xLTBP-1 RNA is also expressed in anterior regions, in the hindbrain, and in the
ventral forebrain. Note the expression within the notochord. (I) Stage 35. xLTBP-1 RNA is highly expressed in the muscle blocks
surrounding the spinal cord. It is also expressed in the rhombomeres of the hindbrain, the eye, and the cement gland. High expression is
present in the tailbud cordoneural hinge. (J) Stage 42. Additional xLTBP-1 RNA expression is observed in more anterior regions, including
the heart (white arrow), the branchial arches, and around the eye. anp, anterior neural plate; cg, cement gland; ey, eye; fb, forebrain; hb,
hindbrain; he, heart; nc, notochord. Locations of the sections are indicated by dashed lines. (K) xLTBP-1 RNA expression in dissected
gastrula embryos: Dorsal and ventral marginal zones and animal cap explants were dissected from stage 11 gastrula embryos and analyzed
by RT-PCR. xLTBP-1 was amplified by using the same primers as in Fig. 2 but for 30 cycles. The following controls are included as markers
for the dissected fragments: Chordin (chd) for dorsal mesoderm, Wnt8 for ventral mesoderm, Otx for animal cap, Brachyury (xBra) as a pan
mesodermal marker, and ODC as the loading control.
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FIG. 4. Gain-of-function analysis of hLTBP-1 in animal cap explants. (A) Coexpression of hLTBP-1 with TGF- family ligands: Embryos
were injected in the animal pole of both blastomeres at the two cell stage. Amounts of RNA injected were: 0.2 ng hLTBP-1; 0.5, 1.0, and
2.0 pg activin with and without hLTBP-1; 0.1, 0.2, 0.5 ng AXnr-1 with and without hLTBP-1. Animal explants were isolated at stage 9 and
cultured until sibling controls reached stage 11 and processed for RT-PCR as described. (B) Coexpression of hLTBP-1 with Xenopus nodal
related-1. Xnr-1 (100 pg/embryo) was injected with or without hLTBP-1 (500 pg/embryo). Animal explants were isolated at stage 9 and
cultured until sibling controls reached stage 11 and processed for RT-PCR as described. xBra, brachyury (pan-mesodermal marker);
Cerberus, Chordin (dorsal mesendodermal markers); goosecoid (dorsal mesoderm marker); XWnt-8 (ventral mesodermal marker); Xhox3
(ventral mesodermal marker); Sox17 (endodermal marker); EF1- , elongation factor alpha (loading control).
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FIG. 5. Soluble hLTBP-1 can promote the effect of recombinant
activin in animal cap explants. Dissected blastula-stage animal
caps were exposed to conditioned media from hLTBP-1-producing
CHO cells (lane 4) or from CHO cells alone (lane 3), in the absence
(lanes 3 and 4) or presence of recombinant activin protein made in
oocytes (lanes 5 and 6). The concentration of activin protein applied
to the caps in this experiment promotes ventrolateral mesodermal
fates only (lane 5). In the presence of hLTBP-1-conditioned medium,
dorsal markers are expressed in the caps, indicating that
hLTBP-1 and activin can functionally cooperate in solution (lane 6).
xBra, brachyury (pan-mesodermal marker); XWnt-8 (ventral mesodermal
marker); Hox-B9 (lateral mesodermal marker); Chordin,
Cerberus (dorsal mesendodermal markers); MyoD (muscle marker);
Collagen-type II (notochord marker); ODC, ornithine decarboxylase
(loading control).
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ltbp1 (latent transforming growth factor beta binding protein 1) gene expression in Xenopus laevis embryo, assayed via in situ hybridization, NF stage 10.5, vegetal view, dorsal right.
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ltbp1 (latent transforming growth factor beta binding protein 1) gene expression in Xenopus laevis embryo, assayed via in situ hybridization, NF stage 25, dorsal view, anterior right.
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ltbp1 (latent transforming growth factor beta binding protein 1) gene expression in Xenopus laevis embryo, assayed via in situ hybridization, NF stage 35, lateral view, dorsal up, anterior right.
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ltbp1 (latent transforming growth factor beta binding protein 1) gene expression in Xenopus laevis embryo, assayed via in situ hybridization, NF stage 42, lateral view, dorsal up, anterior right.
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