title: Conservation of dorsal-ventral patterning in arthropods and chordates.
abstract: Dorsal-ventral patterning within the ectodermal and mesodermal germ layers of Drosophila and Xenopus embryos is specified by a system of genes that has been conserved over 500 million years of evolution. In both organisms, the activity of the TGF-beta family member DPP/BMP4 is antagonized by SOG/CHORDIN. A second Xenopus gene, noggin, has a similar biological activity to chordin. Analysis of the action of these genes indicate that Spemann's organizer promotes dorsal cell fates in Xenopus by antagonizing a ventralizing signal encoded by the Bmp4 gene.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Chicago, 920 East 58th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA. elfergus@midway.uchicago.edu
authors.forename: E L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Ferguson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D055415:Bone Morphogenetic Protein 4; D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D004330:Drosophila / Q000196:embryology* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D004475:Ectoderm; D006023:Glycoproteins; D006133:Growth Substances / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D008648:Mesoderm; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014981:Xenopus / Q000196:embryology* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D029867:Xenopus Proteins; D015053:Zygote; D000099176:Noggin Protein
chemical_list: D055415:Bone Morphogenetic Protein 4; D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D006023:Glycoproteins; D006133:Growth Substances; D019476:Insect Proteins; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D011506:Proteins; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D029867:Xenopus Proteins; D000099176:Noggin Protein; C525809:BMP4 protein, human; C525812:bmp4 protein, Xenopus; C064196:dpp protein, Drosophila; C091428:sog protein, Drosophila; C054234:chordin