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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Artículo científico |
| Language: | en |
| Published: |
Tissue & cell
2026
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| Online Access: | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42242045/ |
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Table of Contents:
- Endostyle glandular element-specific expression of vWF-like genes in protochordates. Kawamorita, Hiroki Fujiwara, Haruka Itayama, Kosuke Onuma, Takeshi A Sasakura, Yasunori Ogasawara, Michio The endostyle in invertebrate chordates is a characteristic pharyngeal trait for mucus protein secretion during suspension feeding, while it is generally recognized as a homologous organ of the vertebrate follicular thyroid with iodine-concentrating and thyroid peroxidase activities. Our recent study on disturbances in thyroid peroxidase activity in protochordates (ascidians and lancelets) revealed a mucus sheet malformation in their pharynx; however, the main component of mucus sheets remains unclear. We herein focused on von Willebrand factor-like (vWFL) genes, which have been identified as endostyle-specific genes in the ascidian Ciona. We found that homologous genes of vWFL were shared among chordates with endostyles, but were lost in vertebrates lacking endostyles. An RNA-seq analysis of protochordates revealed that vWFL transcripts were restricted and prominent in their endostyles. In addition, a gene expression analysis using in situ hybridization revealed that protochordate vWFLs shared an exclusive gene expression pattern that "localized to a specific glandular cell of the endostyle, even though it was not identical among orthologs". Therefore, the ancestral endostyle may have established a "glandular element with vWFL expression", and may subsequently have diverged the "glandular element" and "vWFL expression" in the respective chordate lineages.