Neuroguidin (NGDN)

The mouse and human protein sequences are 89% identical. The 311-amino acid human NGDN protein has 3 conserved N-terminal EIF4E-binding motifs. Ngdn expression in mouse cortex, hippocampus, cerebellum, kidney, spleen, ovary, and testis. Western blot analysis detected Ngdn protein in all mouse tissues except muscle.In Xenopus oocytes, Ngdn coimmunoprecipitated with CPEB, and Ngdn inhibited translation of cytoplasmic polyadenylation element (CPE)-containing mRNAs in oocytes. Whole-mount in situ hybridization of developing Xenopus embryos detected ngdn mRNA in the animal pole blastomeres of the 4-cell embryo and in the neural crest and neural folds of the neurula-stage embryo. Injection of antisense morpholino-oligonucleotides against ngdn resulted in disrupted neural tube closure and neural crest migration.