RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Expression of Ciliary Tektins in Brain and Sensory Development
JF The Journal of Neuroscience
JO J. Neurosci.
FD Society for Neuroscience
SP 8912
OP 8918
DO 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.18-21-08912.1998
VO 18
IS 21
A1 Jan Norrander
A1 Magnus Larsson
A1 Stefan Ståhl
A1 Christer Höög
A1 Richard Linck
YR 1998
UL http://www.jneurosci.org/content/18/21/8912.abstract
AB Many types of neural tissues and sensory cells possess either motile or primary cilia. We report the first mammalian (murine testis) cDNA for tektin, a protein unique to cilia, flagella, and centrioles, which we have used to identify related proteins and genes in sensory tissues. Comparison with the sequence database reveals that tektins are a gene family, spanning evolution from Caenorhabditis elegans (in which they correlate with touch receptor cilia) andDrosophila melanogaster, to Mus musculusand Homo sapiens (in which they are found in brain, retina, melanocytes, and at least 13 other tissues). The peptide sequence RPNVELCRD, or a variant of it, is a prominent feature of tektins and is likely to form a functionally important protein domain. Using the cDNA as a probe, we determined the onset, relative levels, and locations of tektin expression in mouse for several adult tissues and embryonic stages by Northern blot analysis and in situ hybridization. Tektin expression is significant in adult brain and in the choroid plexus, the forming retina (primitive ependymal zone corresponding to early differentiating photoreceptor cells), and olfactory receptor neurons of stage embryonic day 14 embryos. There is a striking correlation of tektin expression with the known presence of either motile or primary cilia. The evolutionary conservation of tektins and their association with tubulin in cilia and centriole formation make them important and useful molecular targets for the study of neural development.