Fgf-driven Tbx protein activities directly induce <i>myf5</i> and <i>myod</i> to initiate zebrafish myogenesis.

ABSTRACT: Skeletal muscle derives from dorsal mesoderm formed during vertebrate gastrulation. Fibroblast growth factor (Fgf) signalling cooperates with Tbx transcription factors to promote dorsal mesoderm formation, but their role in myogenesis has been unclear. Using zebrafish, we show that dorsally derived Fgf signals act through Tbx16 and Tbxta to induce slow and fast trunk muscle precursors at distinct dorsoventral positions. Tbx16 binds to and directly activates the myf5 and myod genes, which are required for commitment to myogenesis. Tbx16 activity depends on Fgf signalling from the organiser. In contrast, Tbxta is not required for myf5 expression, but binds a specific site upstream of myod that is not bound by Tbx16 and drives (dependent on Fgf signals) myod

SUBMITTER: Osborn DPS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7197714 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature