Xenopus Zic3, a primary regulator both in neural and neural crest development.
Xenopus Zic3 is a Xenopus homologue of mouse Zic and Drosophila pair-rule gene, odd-paired. We show here that Zic3 has significant roles both in neural and neural crest development in Xenopus embryo. Expression of Zic3 is first detected in prospective neural plate region at gastrulation. Onset of the expression was earlier than most proneural genes and followed chordin expression. The expression was induced by blockade of BMP4 signal. Overexpression of Zic3 resulted in hyperplastic neural and neural crest derived tissue. In animal cap explant, the overexpression of Zic3 induced expression of all the proneural genes and neural crest marker genes. These findings suggest that Zic3 can determine the ectodermal cell fate and promote the earliest step of neural and neural crest development.
Nakata
K
K
Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, Tsukuba Life Science Center, Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (RIKEN), Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305, Japan.
Nagai
T
T
Aruga
J
J
Mikoshiba
K
K
D000818:Animals; D000943:Antigens, Differentiation; D055415:Bone Morphogenetic Protein 4; D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004475:Ectoderm; D004627:Embryonic Induction; D005775:Gastrula; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009420:Nervous System / Q000196:embryology*; D009432:Neural Crest / Q000196:embryology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D014981:Xenopus / Q000196:embryology*; D029867:Xenopus Proteins
D000943:Antigens, Differentiation; C525810:Bmp4 protein, mouse; D055415:Bone Morphogenetic Protein 4; D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D029867:Xenopus Proteins; C109036:Zic3 protein, Xenopus; C525812:bmp4 protein, Xenopus