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. 2009 Jul 15;20(14):3436–3450. doi: 10.1091/mbc.E08-03-0325

Figure 5.

Figure 5.

Regional and tissue-specific expression of TRAF4 genes during Xenopus embryonic development. (A) Temporal expression of TRAF4a and TRAF4b analyzed by RT-PCR. Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) was scored as a loading and RNA processing control. (B) In situ RNA hybridization showing spatial expression of TRAF4 (a–q). Side views of four-cell (a), stage 8 (b), and stage 10.5 (c) embryos (animal pole up). Dorsal-posterior view of a stage 13 embryo (d) reveals TRAF4 expression in the neural plate. Sense controls are shown in a′–d′. Sagittal sections of a stage 11 (e) and a stage 12.5 embryo (f) showing TRAF4 expression in the general mesoderm indicated with asterisk (e) and in the presumptive neural plate and the involuting mesoderm pointed with arrow (f). Dorsal-anterior view of a stage 14 embryo (g) and its sense control (g′). TRAF4 is expressed in the developing neural crest (red arrowheads), preplacodal and cement gland region (green arrows) and the posterior neural plate (asterisk). Anterior-lateral (h) and dorsal (k) views of a stage 17 embryo and sense control (h′). Strong expression of TRAF4 is detected in the cranial neural crest (red arrowheads), cement gland (red arrow) and the anterior neural fold hingepoints (green arrowhead) (h). Note the lack of expression in the nonneural ectoderm (asterisk) and weaker expression in the neural plate (h). TRAF4 is expressed in the lateral (arrowhead) and medial trunk neural crest (arrow) (k). Expression of TRAF4 (i) and Slug (j) in the anterior region of stage 17 embryos for comparison. Note that in the neural plate and the transverse neural fold TRAF4 is expressed, whereas Slug is not (asterisks). TRAF4 transcripts are enriched in the anterior neural hingepoints (green arrowheads) (i). Dorsal (anterior to the left) (m) and head (l) views of a stage 21 embryo. TRAF4 is expressed in the somites (red arrow) and the trunk neural crest (green arrow) (m) and in the mandibular (m), hyoid (h) and branchial (b) branches of the migrating cranial neural crest (arrowheads) (l). Lateral views of stage 25 (n) and stage 32 (o) embryos (anterior to the left). Red arrowheads point to TRAF4 expression in the pronephros (pn) and the pronephric duct (pd). TRAF4 also is expressed in the spinal cord (sc) (green arrow) (o). Sense control of a stage 32 embryo is shown in k′. In the head region, TRAF4 expression is detected in neural crest and sensory placode derivatives (p): pharyngeal arches (arrowheads), otic vesicle (ov), olfactory placodes (op), cranial ganglia (cg), vagal ganglia (vg). TRAF4 is expressed in the melanoblasts (arrowheads) (r), which are also neural crest derivatives.