title: Activin/nodal signaling modulates XPAPC expression during Xenopus gastrulation.
abstract: Gastrulation is the first obligatory morphogenesis during vertebrate development, by which the body plan is established. Nodal signaling is a key player in many developmental processes, including gastrulation. XPAPC has been found to exert its biological function through modifying the adhesion property of cells and interacting with other several important molecules in embryos. In this report, we show that nodal signaling is necessary and sufficient for XPAPC expression during Xenopus gastrulation. Furthermore, we isolated 4.8 kb upstream DNA sequence of Xenopus XPAPC, and proved that this 4.8-kb genomic contig is sufficient to recapitulate the expression pattern of XPAPC from gastrula to tail bud stage. Transgene and ChIP assays indicate that Activin/nodal signaling participates in regulation of XPAPC expression through a Smad binding element within the XPAPC promoter. Concomitant investigation suggests that the canonical Wnt pathway-activated XPAPC expression requires nodal signaling.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lou
authors.forename: Shuangwei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jinhu
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xiaoyan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ding
mesh_terms: D028341:Activins / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D015820:Cadherins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005775:Gastrula / Q000378:metabolism*; D054262:Gastrulation; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D009024:Morphogenesis; D055457:Nodal Protein; D000091363:Protocadherins; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction; D051785:Smad Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000378:metabolism*; D051153:Wnt Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D029867:Xenopus Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014982:Xenopus laevis / Q000196:embryology
chemical_list: D015820:Cadherins; C484348:MXD4 protein, Xenopus; D055457:Nodal Protein; C117635:Pcdh8 protein, Xenopus; D000091363:Protocadherins; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D051785:Smad Proteins; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D051153:Wnt Proteins; D029867:Xenopus Proteins; D028341:Activins