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Ras - dorsal-ventral anterior localization (Ras-dva) family Ras-dva subfamily. Ras-dva (Ras - dorsal-ventral anterior localization) subfamily consists of a set of proteins characterized only in Xenopus leavis, to date. In Xenopus Ras-dva expression is activated by the transcription factor Otx2 and begins during gastrulation throughout the anterior ectoderm. Ras-dva expression is inhibited in the anterior neural plate by factor Xanf1. Downregulation of Ras-dva results in head development abnormalities through the inhibition of several regulators of the anterior neural plate and folds patterning, including Otx2, BF-1, Xag2, Pax6, Slug, and Sox9. Downregulation of Ras-dva also interferes with the FGF-8a signaling within the anterior ectoderm. Most Ras proteins contain a lipid modification site at the C-terminus, with a typical sequence motif CaaX, where a = an aliphatic amino acid and X = any amino acid. Lipid binding is essential for membrane attachment, a key feature of most Ras proteins.
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