TY - JOUR
T1 - The nodal target gene Xmenf is a component of an FGF-independent pathway of ventral mesoderm induction in Xenopus
AU - Kumano, Gaku
AU - Smith, William C.
N1 - Funding Information:
We thank Michael King for the Xenopus stage 11 cDNA library, Enrique Amaya, John Gurdon, Eddy DeRobertis, Jim Smith, Chris Wright, and Len Zon for plasmids, and Carin Ezal and Lisa Belluzzi for reading the manuscript. This work was supported by a grant from the Beckman Foundation to WCS.
PY - 2002/10
Y1 - 2002/10
N2 - The interplay of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) and nodal signaling in the Xenopus gastrula marginal zone specifies distinct populations of presumptive mesodermal cells. Cells in the vegetal marginal zone, making up the presumptive leading edge mesoderm, are exposed to nodal signaling, as evidenced by SMAD2 activation, but do not appear to be exposed to FGF signaling, as evidenced by the lack of MAP kinase (MAPK) activation. However, in the animal marginal zone, activation of both SMAD2 and MAPK occurs. The differential activation of these two signaling pathways in the marginal zone results in the vegetal and animal marginal zones expressing different genes at gastrulation, and subsequently having different fates, with the vegetal marginal zone contributing to ventral mesoderm (e.g. ventral blood island) and the animal marginal zone giving rise to dorsal fates (e.g. notochord and somite). We report here the cloning of a cDNA encoding a novel nuclear protein, Xmenf, that is expressed in the vegetal marginal zone. The expression of Xmenf is induced by nodal signaling and negatively regulated by FGF signaling. Results from animal cap studies indicate that Xmenf plays a role in the pathway of ventral mesoderm induction in the vegetal marginal zone.
AB - The interplay of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) and nodal signaling in the Xenopus gastrula marginal zone specifies distinct populations of presumptive mesodermal cells. Cells in the vegetal marginal zone, making up the presumptive leading edge mesoderm, are exposed to nodal signaling, as evidenced by SMAD2 activation, but do not appear to be exposed to FGF signaling, as evidenced by the lack of MAP kinase (MAPK) activation. However, in the animal marginal zone, activation of both SMAD2 and MAPK occurs. The differential activation of these two signaling pathways in the marginal zone results in the vegetal and animal marginal zones expressing different genes at gastrulation, and subsequently having different fates, with the vegetal marginal zone contributing to ventral mesoderm (e.g. ventral blood island) and the animal marginal zone giving rise to dorsal fates (e.g. notochord and somite). We report here the cloning of a cDNA encoding a novel nuclear protein, Xmenf, that is expressed in the vegetal marginal zone. The expression of Xmenf is induced by nodal signaling and negatively regulated by FGF signaling. Results from animal cap studies indicate that Xmenf plays a role in the pathway of ventral mesoderm induction in the vegetal marginal zone.
KW - Fibroblast growth factor
KW - Nodal
KW - Ventral mesoderm
KW - Xenopus
KW - Xmenf
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0036803297&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0036803297&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/S0925-4773(02)00186-7
DO - 10.1016/S0925-4773(02)00186-7
M3 - Article
C2 - 12351169
AN - SCOPUS:0036803297
VL - 118
SP - 45
EP - 56
JO - Cells and Development
JF - Cells and Development
SN - 2667-291X
IS - 1-2
ER -