Abstract
Recent findings indicate that glycosaminoglycans can play important roles in animal development. The genes sqv-3, -7, and -8, which are necessary for vulval morphogenesis in Caenorhabditis elegans, affect the biosynthesis of chondroitin and heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycans. We cloned sqv-1 and showed that the SQV-1 protein is a type II transmembrane protein that functions as a UDP-glucuronic acid decarboxylase. SQV-1 localizes to punctate cytoplasmic compartments and colocalizes with the SQV-7 nucleotide-sugar transporter, which probably acts in the Golgi apparatus. SQV-1 and SQV-7 are both expressed in the vulva and in oocytes, where they likely act in vulval morphogenesis and embryonic development, respectively. Progeny of sqv-7 and sqv-1 null mutants fail to initiate cytokinesis, possibly because they are unable to separate the plasma membrane from the eggshell, a defect analogous to that of incomplete vulval invagination.
Publication types
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
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Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.
MeSH terms
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Amino Acid Sequence
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Animals
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Animals, Genetically Modified
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Caenorhabditis elegans / embryology
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Caenorhabditis elegans / metabolism
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Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / genetics
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Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / metabolism*
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Carbohydrate Metabolism
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Carboxy-Lyases / genetics
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Carboxy-Lyases / metabolism*
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Carrier Proteins / metabolism*
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Cytoplasm / enzymology
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Female
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Golgi Apparatus / metabolism*
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Humans
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Membrane Proteins / genetics
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Membrane Proteins / metabolism*
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Molecular Sequence Data
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Monosaccharide Transport Proteins*
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Morphogenesis
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Nucleobase, Nucleoside, Nucleotide, and Nucleic Acid Transport Proteins*
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Nucleotides / metabolism
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Rabbits
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Staining and Labeling / methods
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Uridine Diphosphate Glucuronic Acid / metabolism
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Uridine Diphosphate Xylose / metabolism
Substances
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Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins
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Carrier Proteins
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Membrane Proteins
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Monosaccharide Transport Proteins
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Nucleobase, Nucleoside, Nucleotide, and Nucleic Acid Transport Proteins
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Nucleotides
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sqv-7 protein, C elegans
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Uridine Diphosphate Glucuronic Acid
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Uridine Diphosphate Xylose
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Carboxy-Lyases
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SQV-1 protein, C elegans
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UDPglucuronate decarboxylase
Associated data
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GENBANK/AY147933
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GENBANK/AY147934