Xenopus tropicalis
Western Clawed Frog
Clawed Frog (Xenopus laevis) Credit: Photo courtesy of USGS
Xenopus laevis is a unique resource for two critical areas in vertebrate biology: early embryonic development and cell biology. In the former, Xenopus laevis has led the way in identifying the mechanisms of early fate decisions, patterning of the basic vertebrate body plan, and early organogenesis. Contributions in cell biology and biochemistry include seminal work on chromosome replication, chromatin and nuclear assembly, control of the cell cycle, in vitro reconstruction of cytoskeletal dynamics, and signaling pathways. In fact, Xenopus has become a major vertebrate model for the cellular and developmental biology research that is supported by most of the Institutes of the NIH. Information amassed from these studies provides a strong underpinning for future work, and, although Xenopus laevis is superb for characterizing the activities of particular genes, only a tiny fraction have as yet been assayed. A major goal now is to examine the expressed genome in the context of this whole range of biological processes using genomic technology, such as ESTs and full- length cDNA libraries. This information will provide an extraordinary resource for a clearer evaluation of the cellular and developmental processes for which Xenopus has been so useful, for example by permitting the production of microarrays to be used for systematically evaluating gene expression.
We are now well placed to use Xenopus tropicalis to complement studies of Xenopus laevis and to extend research into new areas. Two exciting areas that will become increasingly larger foci for researchers are morphogenesis and organogenesis. Both areas are acknowledged by cell and developmental biologists to be key problems about which we know very little regarding fundamental molecular mechanisms, and both areas impinge in important medical problems. To study these areas effectively will require the ability to target gene activities to specific populations of cells, in the former case, and to relatively late stages of development in the latter. This has not been feasible in the past, but now that one can make, with ease, transgenic lines in Xenopus tropicalis because of the efficient technique for transgnesis in Xenopus, and the rapid development of this species the prospects for new insights in these areas are dramatically improved.
Two new areas concerning genomic issues are obvious: First, Xenopus tropicalis offers a relatively simple genome among the amphibians. When combined with the mass of research on Xenopus laevis, Xenopus tropicalis arguably has the most interesting genome yet to be sequenced. The amphibians occupy a key phylogenetic position between those genomes that are, or have been sequenced, namely the mammals and the fish. As comparative genomics develops, the Xenopus tropicalis genome will allow insights into the similarities in development and physiology of the vertebrates, as well as the important differences in the use of regulatory DNA sequences. For example, Amphibians have a limb skeleton that clearly resembles that of the mammals, but is radically different from the fin of the fish. Although similar to the mammalian limb, the Xenopus limb is different in the numbers of digits, and fusion of skeletal elements. We expect that these similarities and differences will ultimately be understood by a comparative analysis, and lead to a deep understanding of developmental mechanisms. When combined with the ease of analysis of regulatory information in transgenic animals, we expect many new insights and principles to emerge from study of Xenopus tropicalis.
-- From the attached whitepaper.
Contacts
| Name | Affiliation |
|---|---|
| Wes Warren | The Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine |
| Rob Grainger | Human Biology Program, University of Virginia |
| Bruce Blumberg | Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, Univeristy of California, Irvine |
| Richard Harland | Department of Molecular & Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley |
| Chris Amemiya | Molecular Genetics Department, Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason |
| Paul Richardson | Genomic Technologies Program, DOE Joint Genome Institute |
Sequences & Maps
Maps
| Name | Date | Type | Description |
| Xenopus tropicalis | Mar 13, 2008 | Physical | FPC |
Related Links
Sequence Data
Genome Browser
Others
- Trans-NIH Xenopus Initiative
- U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute
- University of California, Berkeley
- University of Virginia
Publications
Hellsten U, Harland RM, Gilchrist MJ, Hendrix D, Jurka J, Kapitonov V, Ovcharenko I, Putnam…
The genome of the Western clawed frog Xenopus tropicalis.
Science. 2010 Apr 30;328(5978):633-6. PubMed | View Abstract
Klein SL, Strausberg RL, Wagner L, Pontius J, Clifton SW, Richardson P.
Genetic and genomic tools for Xenopus research: The NIH Xenopus initiative.
Dev Dyn. 2002 Dec;225(4):384-91. PubMed | View Abstract
