Expression of RhoB in the developing Xenopus laevis embryo.

Rho GTPases are signaling components that participate to the control of cell morphology, adhesion and motility through the regulation of F-actin cytoskeleton dynamics. In this paper, we report the identification of RhoB in Xenopus laevis (XRhoB) and its expression pattern during early development. Whole-mount in situ hybridization analysis indicated that XrhoB is expressed at high levels in the dorsal marginal zone early in gastrula and in the dorsal midline at later stages. At mid-neurula stages, XrhoB expression extends to the central nervous system, presomitic mesoderm and somites. Later during development, rhoB mRNA is detected in the eyes, the migrating neural crest cells as well as the dorso-lateral part of the somites.