Heliocidaris
tuberculata Genes in Development: Primary mesenchyme-specific genes
msp130
Function
msp130 is a sceletogenic mesenchyme lineage-specific gene (Klueg et al., 1997).
The function of msp130 remains unclear, however it is evident
that it has been implicated in major primary mesenchyme cell functions (Parr et al., 1989).
There is also some experimental evidence that msp130
may play a role in the entrance of calcium ions into the
PMCs (Carson et al., 1985; Kabakoff et all., 1992).
msp130 is a single copy-gene in Heliocidaris (Klueg et al., 1995).
RNA blot analysis detected a single transcript
of approximately 3.8 kb. The appearance of the transcript
is first seen in hatched blastulae prior to ingression
of primary mesenchyme cells. This onset coincides
with the onset of msp130 expression in another
indirect-developing sea urchin, S. purpuratus
(Leaf et al., 1987).
There is an increase in msp130 expression in mesenchyme
blastulae, but expression declines during gastrulation.
These levels of expression differ somewhat in timing
from those observed in S. purpuratus, where peak
of msp130 expression occurs during gastrulation (Klueg et al., 1997).
mRNA level
Temporal accumulation
Method: RNA gel blot hybridization
Reference: Klueg et al., 1997