title: Stat3 Controls Cell Movements during Zebrafish Gastrulation.
abstract: Vertebrate axis formation requires both the correct specification of cell fates and the coordination of gastrulation movements. We report that the zebrafish signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (Stat3) is activated on the dorsal side by the maternal Wnt/beta-catenin pathway. Zebrafish embryos lacking Stat3 activity display abnormal cell movements during gastrulation, resulting in a mispositioned head and a shortened anterior-posterior axis, but show no defects in early cell fate specification. Time course analysis, cell tracing, and transplantation experiments revealed that Stat3 activity is required cell autonomously for the anterior migration of dorsal mesendodermal cells and non-cell autonomously for the convergence of neighboring paraxial cells. These results reveal a role for Stat3 in controlling cell movements during gastrulation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Oncology (C-7), Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamada-oka, 565-0871, Suita Osaka, Japan
authors.forename: Susumu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamashita
authors.forename: Chiemi
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Miyagi
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carmany-Rampey
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: Ritsuko
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fujii
authors.forename: Alexander F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Schier
authors.forename: Toshio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hirano
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019521:Body Patterning / Q000502:physiology; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D005775:Gastrula / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D008648:Mesoderm / Q000166:cytology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D020897:Organizers, Embryonic / Q000502:physiology; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D051153:Wnt Proteins; D015027:Zebrafish; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins; D051176:beta Catenin
chemical_list: D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor; D015534:Trans-Activators; D051153:Wnt Proteins; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins; D051176:beta Catenin; C495269:ctnnb1 protein, zebrafish; C494089:stat3 protein, zebrafish; C094522:wnt8b protein, zebrafish