Abstract
Urp1 and Urp2 are two neuropeptides of the urotensin II family identified in teleost fish and mainly expressed in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-contacting neurons. It has been recently proposed that Urp1 and Urp2 are required for correct axis formation and maintenance. Their action is thought to be mediated by the receptor Uts2r3, which is specifically expressed in dorsal somites. In support of this view, it has been demonstrated that the loss of uts2r3 results in severe scoliosis in adult zebrafish. In the present study, we report for the first time the occurrence of urp2, but not of urp1, in two tetrapod species of the Xenopus genus. In X. laevis, we show that urp2 mRNA-containing cells are CSF-contacting neurons. Furthermore, we identified utr4, the X. laevis counterparts of zebrafish uts2r3, and we demonstrate that, as in zebrafish, it is expressed in the dorsal somatic musculature. Finally, we reveal that, in X. laevis, the disruption of utr4 results in an abnormal curvature of the antero-posterior axis of the tadpoles. Taken together, our results suggest that the role of the Utr4 signalling pathway in the control of body straightness is an ancestral feature of bony vertebrates and not just a peculiarity of ray-finned fishes.
Highlights
The urotensin II (UII) family is a multigenic family of neuropeptides, evolutionarily related to somatostatin [1], which consists of four paralogous genes called uts2, uts2-related peptide, urp1 and urp2 [2,3]
Our results strongly suggest that the role of the Utr4 signalling pathway in the control of body straightness is an ancestral feature of bony vertebrates and not just a peculiarity of ray-finned fishes
We characterized for the first time the urp2 gene in a tetrapod
Summary
The urotensin II (UII) family is a multigenic family of neuropeptides, evolutionarily related to somatostatin [1], which consists of four paralogous genes called uts, uts2-related peptide (urp, called uts2b in mammals and uts2d in fishes), urp and urp2 [2,3]. Since its discovery in 1980 [10], UII has prompted a large number of studies and it has been reported to regulate many physiological processes in the CNS and peripheral tissues, such as sleep, anxiety, depression, food intake, locomotion, neuroendocrine action, osmoregulation, cardiovascular functions and immunity (see [11] for review). In contrast with those of UII, the functions of Urps are much less understood. Recent studies in zebrafish (Danio rerio) have shown that Urp and Urp play a critical role in spine morphogenesis [12,13,14]
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