title: Dual roles of Akirin2 protein duringXenopusneural development.
abstract: To ensure correct spatial and temporal patterning, embryos must maintain pluripotent cell populations and control when cells undergo commitment. The newly identified nucleoprotein Akirin has been shown to modulate the innate immune response through epigenetic regulation and to play important roles in other physiological processes, but its role in neural development remains unknown. Here we show that Akirin2 is required for neural development inXenopusand that knockdown of Akirin2 expands the expression of the neural progenitor marker Sox2 and inhibits expression of the differentiated neuronal marker N-tubulin. Akirin2 acts antagonistically to Geminin, thus regulating Sox2 expression, and maintains the neural precursor state by participating in the Brg1/Brm-associated factor (BAF) complex mediated by BAF53a. Additionally, Akirin2 also modulates N-tubulin expression by acting upstream of neuronal differentiation 1 (NeuroD) and in parallel with neurogenin-related 1 (Ngnr1) during terminal neuronal differentiation. Thus, our results reveal a novel model in which Akirin2 precisely coordinates and temporally controlsXenopusneural development.
authors.affiliation: From the State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China and.|the Kunming College of Life Science, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650203, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoliang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: From the State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China and.
authors.forename: Yingjie
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.affiliation: From the State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China and.
authors.forename: Jixin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: From the State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China and.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: From the State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China and.
authors.forename: Chaocui
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: From the State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China and kunmapch@mail.kiz.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Pengcheng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: From the State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China and mao@mail.kiz.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Bingyu
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mao
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D064248:Geminin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D055495:Neurogenesis / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D055748:SOXB1 Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D029867:Xenopus Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014982:Xenopus laevis
chemical_list: D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone; D064248:Geminin; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D055748:SOXB1 Transcription Factors; D029867:Xenopus Proteins; C101907:neurogenin, Xenopus
keywords: Xenopus; cell differentiation; chromatin remodeling; embryo; neurodevelopment