Goosecoid regulates the neural inducing strength of the mouse node.
The homeobox gene goosecoid was the first specific genetic marker of Spemann's organizer in vertebrate embryos to be discovered. In the frog, misexpression of this gene by RNA injection produces duplication of the posterior axis. For these reasons, the recent finding that mice lacking goosecoid function have no early axial defects was rather surprising. Here we assay the neural inducing strength of wild-type and goosecoid-mutant mouse nodes by transplantation into primitive streak stage chick embryos. Wild-type mouse nodes strongly induce the neural-specific transcription factors Sox2 and Sox3 in the chick host. Homozygous goosecoid(-/- )nodes are severely impaired in their ability to induce both genes. Heterozygous goosecoid(+/-) nodes induce Sox3 as well as wild-type nodes, but resemble -/- nodes in their limited ability to induce Sox2. We propose that goosecoid does play a role in regulating the neural inducing strength of the node and that regulative mechanisms exist which mask the early phenotypic consequences of goosecoid mutations in the intact mouse embryo.
Zhu
L
L
Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University, 701 West 168th Street, New York, New York, 10032, USA.
Belo
J A
JA
De Robertis
E M
EM
Stern
C D
CD
D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers; D002642:Chick Embryo; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D051956:Goosecoid Protein; D024002:HMGB Proteins; D053823:Hedgehog Proteins; D006609:High Mobility Group Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D055748:SOXB1 Transcription Factors; D016378:Tissue Transplantation; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors; D001616:beta-Galactosidase / Q000235:genetics
D015415:Biomarkers; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D051956:Goosecoid Protein; C497993:Gsc protein, mouse; D024002:HMGB Proteins; D053823:Hedgehog Proteins; D006609:High Mobility Group Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D011506:Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D055748:SOXB1 Transcription Factors; C527783:Sox2 protein, mouse; C527786:Sox3 protein, mouse; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors; D001616:beta-Galactosidase