Specific degradation of keratin in Xenopus laevis egg extracts undergoing apoptosis

Cytochrome c activates apoptosis specific protease XCPP32 when being added to Xenopus laevis egg extracts, and induces apoptosis in this cell-free system. During apoptosis, cyto-skeleton proteins in egg extracts are degraded. Western blot assay indicates that 42-ku acidic keratin in egg extracts has been degraded by XCPP32. The degradation of 42-ku keratin may be crucial in apoptosis.     

Steroid-induced meiotic division in Xenopus laevis oocytes: surface and calcium.

Progesterone reinitiates meiotic maturation in Xenopus oocytes. Evidence is reported which indicates that the steroid acts at the level of the cell surface and suggests that an induced change of Ca2+ distribution triggers in turn a cascade of cytoplasmic events including protein synthesis and germinal vesicle (nucleus) breakdown. These novel features of steroid hormone action in amphibian oocytes are discussed in relation to presently accepted views of the mechanism of action of steroid hormones in somatic cells.     

Protein kinase C mediates neural induction in Xenopus laevis

Inductive cell interactions are essential in early embryonic development, but virtually nothing is known about the molecular mechanisms involved. Recently factors resembling fibroblast growth factor and transforming growth factor-beta were shown to be involved in mesoderm induction in Xenopus laevis, suggesting that membrane receptor-mediated signal transduction is important in induction processes. Here we report direct measurements of protein kinase C (PKC) activity in uninduced ectoderm, and in neuroectoderm shortly after induction by the involuting mesoderm, in Xenopus laevis embryos. Membrane-bound PKC activity increased three to fourfold in the induced neuroectoderm while the cytosolic PKC activity was decreasing, indicating that PKC activity was translocated during neural induction. A similar time- and dose-dependent translocation of activity was seen after incubation with the PKC activator 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate, which also induced neural tissue in competent ectoderm, suggesting that PKC is involved in the response to the endogenous inducing signal during neural induction.     

三丁基锡对非洲爪蟾甲状腺组织结构的影响

幼龄非洲爪蟾（Xenopus laevis）暴露于低浓度三丁基锡（25 ng&;#8226;L^-1TBTCl）中2个月,运用组织学切片的方法观测甲状腺组织结构的变化.结果表明,TBT暴露1个月能引起爪蟾甲状腺滤泡胶质减少甚至空泡化,暴露2个月后,甲状腺滤泡的变形率也显著增加,相对甲状腺横截面积和滤泡面积仅为平行对照的35.3%和45.6%,而滤泡数目没有明显变化.空白组和暴露组均未观察到明显的滤泡上皮增厚或肥大等现象.由此可见,甲状腺萎缩是由于滤泡面积减小而不是滤泡数目减少所引起的;滤泡中胶质的减少和变形等与常见的滤泡上皮代偿性增生或肥大无关.所用低浓度的TBT能对爪蟾甲状腺组织结构造成严重损伤,TBT可以被认定为一种环境甲状腺激素干扰物.     

全氟辛磺酸对于爪蟾的甲状腺激素干扰效应

运用两栖类变态实验(AMA)研究了全氟辛磺酸(PFOS)对于非洲爪蟾(Xenopus laevis)蝌蚪的生长、变态和甲状腺组织结构的影响.结果显示,与对照组相比,7d后,10,50和250μg.L-1PFOS暴露组蝌蚪的后肢长分别减小了17%,11%和18%,蝌蚪的发育延缓了1~2个阶段;19d后,10,50和250μg.L-1PFOS组蝌蚪的体重分别增加了17%,10%和20%,体长分别增加了5%,4%和6%,而10μg.L-1和250μg.L-1PFOS组蝌蚪的后肢长分别减小了12%和13%;暴露组甲状腺组织结构出现滤泡数目减少、上皮细胞增生、胶质减少甚至滤泡溶通等现象.结论是,在本实验浓度下,PFOS对于非洲爪蟾的蝌蚪生长有促进作用,对于变态发育过程却有抑制作用.参照AMA的方法,可以判断PFOS为抗甲状腺激素干扰物.     

Polymorphism and absence of Leu-enkephalin sequences in proenkephalin genes in Xenopus laevis

The structures of the genes coding for the opioid peptide precursors proopiomelanocortin, proenkephalin (proenkephalin A) and prodynorphin (proenkephalin B), are known for some mammalian species. To gain insight into the evolutionary history of these precursors, we have examined the proenkephalin gene in the South African clawed toad, Xenopus laevis, which diverged from the principal line of vertebrate evolution some 350 Myr ago. The human proenkephalin gene consists of four exons, of which the main exon (exon IV) contains all known biologically active peptides--six Met-enkephalin sequences and one Leu-enkephalin sequence. We report here the primary structures of the putative main exons of two proenkephalin genes in X. laevis, each of which codes for seven Met-enkephalin sequences but no Leu-enkephalin, indicating that Met-enkephalin preceded Leu-enkephalin in the evolution of the proenkephalin gene. The organization of the main exons of the toad genes is remarkably similar to that of the human gene and conserved regions provide evidence for functionally significant structures. We also detect a polymorphism in one of the toad proenkephalin genes, mapping 1.5 kilobases (kb) 5' of the main exon; it is caused by an insertion/deletion of a 1-kb repetitive sequence which has the characteristics of a transposable element.