Role of ubiquitin system in Xenopus gastrulation movements

近轴原钙粘附素(PAPC)在胚胎发育早期参与原肠形成细胞的运动。在非洲爪哇和斑马鱼的原肠胚早期，它首先在背缘区域表达，随后在原肠形成过程中仅限于中轴附近的中胚层。利用非洲爪哇胚胎，我们发现PAPC也在蛋白水平上受到调控，在原肠胚后期，PAPC被降解并被排除在中轴中胚层的质膜之外。我们的发现表明了一种新的细胞黏附蛋白调节机制，该系统在脊椎动物胚胎发育中发挥着关键作用。

Paraxial protocadherin(PAPC) has been shown to be involved in gastrulation cell movements during early embryogenesis. It is first expressed in the dorsal marginal zone at early gastrula stage and subsequently restricted to paraxial mesoderm during gastrulation in Xenopus and zebrafish. Using Xenopus embryos, we found that PAPC is regulated also at the protein level is degraded and excluded from the plasma membrane in the axial mesoderm at late gastrula stage. Our findings suggest a novel mechanism of regulation of a cell adhesion protein and that this system plays a crucial role in vertebrate embryogenesis.