A Xenopus nodal-related gene that acts in synergy with noggin to induce complete secondary axis and notochord formation.
Using a paracrine assay to screen for signaling proteins that could respecify ectodermal tissue, we isolated a Xenopus gene related to the mouse gene nodal, a member of the TGFbeta superfamily. The gene is expressed in three regions in the early Xenopus embryo: first in the gastrula organizer, then in two stripes of cells flanking the posterior notochord in late neurulae, and finally in lateral plate mesoderm restricted to the left side of tailbud-stage embryos. Ectopic expression of the gene induces muscle formation in ectodermal explants and partial secondary axes in whole embryos. Together with noggin, another secreted protein also present in the organizer, it induces notochord formation in ectodermal explants and complete secondary axes in whole embryos. These results suggest that the nodal-related gene may act together with noggin to induce axial pattern during gastrulation and also may play a role in left-right asymmetry generation in the post-gastrula embryo.
Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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Lustig
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Kroll
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Sun
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Ramos
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Elmendorf
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Kirschner
D000818:Animals; D001368:Axis, Cervical Vertebra / Q000196:embryology / Q000502:physiology; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004475:Ectoderm / Q000502:physiology; D004707:Endoderm / Q000502:physiology; D005775:Gastrula / Q000502:physiology; D015870:Gene Expression; D055457:Nodal Protein; D009672:Notochord / Q000196:embryology / Q000502:physiology; D011506:Proteins; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D029867:Xenopus Proteins; D014982:Xenopus laevis / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism*; D000099176:Noggin Protein
D002352:Carrier Proteins; D055457:Nodal Protein; D011506:Proteins; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D029867:Xenopus Proteins; D000099176:Noggin Protein; C526008:Nodal protein, mouse; C512833:nodal1 protein, Xenopus