EIG121 Like Protein (EIG121L)

A Transmembrane Protein EIG121L Is Required for Epidermal Differentiation during Early Embryonic Development. EIG121L, an evolutionarily conserved transmembrane protein, is expressed in the ventral ectoderm at the gastrula and neurula stages. Belongs to the UPF0577 family.

Almost complete knockdown of xEIG121L protein with antisense morpholino oligonucleotides in early Xenopus embryos results in severe developmental defects, including the inhibition of epidermal differentiation and the induction of neural genes. BMP/Smad1 signaling is severely suppressed in the xEIG121L knockdown ectoderm. Moreover, immunoprecipitation and immunostaining experiments suggest that xEIG121L protein physically interacts, and co-localizes, with BMP receptors.