Versican Expression During Embryonic Development in the Mouse

Abstract

Versican is a chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan and a component of the extracellular matrix that has previously been shown to have an important role during the embryonic development of many organs. In this study, versican expression in the head, heart, lung and liver was tracked during development in the mouse. Versican gene expression and quantitative &beta-GAG immunohistochemistry performed from embryonic day (E) 11.5 to E15.5 showed peak versican expression at E13.5 in the lung and the brain. Quantitative &beta-GAG immunohistochemistry and mRNA analysis of the embryonic head, liver, and lung had identical patterns of versican expression. Versican degradation, as measured by DPEAAE immunoreactivity, showed an inverse pattern of expression compared to &beta-GAG immunoreactivity, and there was co-localization of &beta-GAG and DPEAAE positive staining, suggesting complementary roles of versican deposition and degradation in embryogenesis.