Xnrs and activin regulate distinct genes during Xenopus development: activin regulates cell division.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The mesoderm of the amphibian embryo is formed through an inductive interaction in which vegetal cells of the blastula-staged embryo act on overlying equatorial cells. Candidate mesoderm-inducing factors include members of the transforming growth factor type beta family such as Vg1, activin B, the nodal-related proteins and derrière.

Methodology and principle findings

Microarray analysis reveals different functions for activin B and the nodal-related proteins during early Xenopus development. Inhibition of nodal-related protein function causes the down-regulation of regionally expressed genes such as chordin, dickkopf and XSox17alpha/beta, while genes that are mis-regulated in the absence of activin B tend to be more widely expressed and, interestingly, include se

SUBMITTER: Ramis JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1790703 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature