Strongylocentrotus purpuratus Genes in Development:
Collagen
Spcoll
Function
Spcoll is a member of the sea urchin collagen family (Mayne and
Burgesson, 1987).
Spcoll participates in the differentiation
of the primary mesenchyme cells as they progress
to the skeletogenic state (Wessel et al., 1991).
Protein
Spcoll is a nonfibrillar collagen.
This protein contains Gly-X-Y repeats interrupted 13 times by
varied amino acid sequences (Miller and Gay, 1987).
GenBank: 238617
Subcellular location
Spcoll polypeptide made by PMC in vitro accumulated at the
cell-substrate interface. Since Spcoll is detectable in the
culture supernatant by Western blot analysis and not along the
enrire cell surface, Wessel et al. (1991) believe that that this
collagen is secreted by the cells and trapped on the
cell-surface interface. Spcoll in vivo is probably also secreted
as a soluble molecule but is then incorporated into blastocoel
through interactions with other components of the ECM.
Expression Pattern
Spcoll is transcribed as a 9-kb mRNA and accumulates only in
mesenchyme cells (Angerer et al., 1988).
The RNA gel blot analysis has revealed a dramatic decrease in
mRNA levels at the prism and the pluteus stage (Venkatesan et al., 1986).
However Wessel et al. (1989)
have shown by RNA gel blots using the pSUDColl7-1 sequence that
Spcoll mRNA was first detectable
at the swimming blastula stage (14 hr) and accumulated
approximately fivefold to the pluteus stage (96 hr).
Significant accumulation of Spcoll mRNA was evident in
primary mesenchyme cells during their ingression at the
mesenchyme blastula stage. During gastrulation and development
to the larval stage, secondary mesenchyme cells also accumulated
Spcoll mRNA. No significant grain densities
were detected in embryos prior to the blastula stage (Angerer et al., 1988).
The protein is expressed autonomously by mesenchyme cells
during skeletogenesis (Wessel et al., 1991).
mRNA level
Temporal accumulation
Method: RNA gel blot analysis using the pSUDColl7-1 sequence
Reference: Wessel et al., 1989
Stage
Egg
Cleavage
Early blastula
Swimming blastula
Mesenchyme blastula
Gastrula
Prism
Pluteus
Level
-
-
-
+
+
+
+
+
Spatial localization
Method: in situ hybridization
Reference: Wessel et al., 1989
Gene Networks Database![[Previous]](arrow-1.gif){kind=icon}
UrchiNet![[Up]](arrow-3.gif){kind=icon}
Search the GeNet