PRTG

Protogenin (PRTG) is a membrane protein of the immunoglobulin superfamily (IgSF). It contains four extracellular immunoglobulin domains and five fibronectin III domains, making it structurally related to deleted in colorectal cancer (DCC) and Neogenin, which are receptors for Netrin1 and RGMa, respectively, as well as to cell adhesion molecules such as L1 and neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM). Research reports on the expression pattern of prtg in early chick embryos, demonstrating prtg expression in the neural tube and paraxial mesoderm. Similar expression patterns for prtg have been reported in the mouse and zebrafish, suggesting a conserved role for prtg among species. Specific expression of prtg in the paraxial mesodermal lineage prompted us to investigate the function of PRTG, in particular in mesodermal formation, including ingression of the epiblast, migration of the paraxial mesodermal cells, and subsequent somitogenesis.