Fgf8a induces neural crest indirectly through the activation of Wnt8 in the paraxial mesoderm.

ABSTRACT: Two independent signals are necessary for neural crest (NC) induction in Xenopus: a Bmp signal, which must be partially attenuated by Bmp antagonists, and a separate signal mediated by either a canonical Wnt or an Fgf. The mesoderm underlying the NC-forming region has been proposed as a source of this second signal. Wnt8 and Fgf8a are expressed in this tissue around the time of NC induction and are therefore good candidate NC inducers. Loss-of-function studies indicate that both of these ligands are necessary to specify the NC; however, it is unclear whether these signaling molecules are operating in the same or in parallel pathways to generate the NC. Here, we describe experiments addressing this outstanding question. We show that although Wnt8 expression can restore NC progenitors in Fgf

SUBMITTER: Hong CS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2888028 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature