| First Author | Christie GR | Year | 2005 |
| Journal | Mol Cell Biol | Volume | 25 |
| Issue | 18 | Pages | 8323-33 |
| PubMed ID | 16135819 | Mgi Jnum | J:101370 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:3603892 | Doi | 10.1128/MCB.25.18.8323-8333.2005 |
| Citation | Christie GR, et al. (2005) The dual-specificity protein phosphatase DUSP9/MKP-4 is essential for placental function but is not required for normal embryonic development. Mol Cell Biol 25(18):8323-33 |
| abstractText | To elucidate the physiological role(s) of DUSP9 (dual-specificity phosphatase 9), also known as MKP-4 (mitogen-activated protein kinase [MAPK] phosphatase 4), the gene was deleted in mice. Crossing male chimeras with wild-type females resulted in heterozygous (DUSP9(+/-)) females. However, when these animals were crossed with wild-type (DUSP9(+/y)) males none of the progeny carried the targeted DUSP9 allele, indicating that both female heterozygous and male null (DUSP9(-/y)) animals die in utero. The DUSP9 gene is on the X chromosome, and this pattern of embryonic lethality is consistent with the selective inactivation of the paternal X chromosome in the extraembryonic tissues of the mouse, suggesting that DUSP9/MKP4 performs an essential function during placental development. Examination of embryos between 8 and 10.5 days postcoitum confirmed that lethality was due to a failure of labyrinth development, and this correlates exactly with the normal expression pattern of DUSP9/MKP-4 in the trophoblast giant cells and labyrinth of the placenta. Finally, when the placental defect was rescued, male null (DUSP9(-/y)) embryos developed to term, appeared normal, and were fertile. Our results indicate that DUSP9/MKP-4 is essential for placental organogenesis but is otherwise dispensable for mammalian embryonic development and highlights the critical role of dual-specificity MAPK phosphatases in the regulation of developmental outcomes in vertebrates. |
