title: Reciprocal repression between Sox3 and snail transcription factors defines embryonic territories at gastrulation.
abstract: In developing amniote embryos, the first epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) occurs at gastrulation, when a subset of epiblast cells moves to the primitive streak and undergoes EMT to internalize and generate the mesoderm and the endoderm. We show that in the chick embryo this decision to internalize is mediated by reciprocal transcriptional repression of Snail2 and Sox3 factors. We also show that the relationship between Sox3 and Snail is conserved in the mouse embryo and in human cancer cells. In the embryo, Snail-expressing cells ingress at the primitive streak, whereas Sox3-positive cells, which are unable to ingress, ensure the formation of ectodermal derivatives. Thus, the subdivision of the early embryo into the two main territories, ectodermal and mesendodermal, is regulated by changes in cell behavior mediated by the antagonistic relationship between Sox3 and Snail transcription factors.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Neurociencias, CSIC-UMH, San Juan de Alicante 03550, Spain.
authors.forename: Hervé
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Acloque
authors.forename: Oscar H
authors.initials: OH
authors.lastname: Ocaña
authors.forename: Ander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Matheu
authors.forename: Karine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rizzoti
authors.forename: Clare
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wise
authors.forename: Robin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lovell-Badge
authors.forename: M Angela
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Nieto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002642:Chick Embryo; D005775:Gastrula / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism; D054262:Gastrulation; D005855:Germ Layers / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008808:Mice, Inbred CBA; D054240:Primitive Streak / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism; D055748:SOXB1 Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D000071250:Snail Family Transcription Factors; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C000604407:SNAI1 protein, human; D055748:SOXB1 Transcription Factors; C000604429:Snai1 protein, mouse; D000071250:Snail Family Transcription Factors; D014157:Transcription Factors