High impact information on mgp-A

• Because there is a large degree of conservation between amino acid sequences of shark and human MGP, the function of MGP probably has been conserved throughout evolution [1].
• Matrix Gla protein in Xenopus laevis: molecular cloning, tissue distribution, and evolutionary considerations [1].
• Toward this goal, MGP was purified from Xenopus long bones and its N-terminal amino acid sequence was determined and used to clone the Xenopus MGP complementary DNA (cDNA) by a mixture of reverse-transcription (RT)- and 5'- rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE)-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) [1].
• These results show that in this system, as in mammals, MGP may be required to delay or prevent mineralization of cartilage and soft tissues during the early stages of development and indicate that Xenopus is an adequate model organism to further study MGP function during growth and development [1].
• The main objectives of this work were to study the sites of MGP gene expression and protein accumulation by means of in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry [2].

Anatomical context of mgp-A

• MGP mRNA and protein were localized as expected not only in cartilage from branchial arches and vertebra but also in the endothelia of the vascular system as well as in the tubular renal endothelium [2].
• More recently, the MGP gene expression was also studied in marine teleost fish where it was found to be associated with chondrocytes, smooth muscle and endothelial cells [2].

References