Premium
The role of FGF signaling in the establishment and maintenance of mesodermal gene expression in Xenopus
Author(s) -
Fletcher Russell B.,
Harland Richard M.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
developmental dynamics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.634
H-Index - 141
eISSN - 1097-0177
pISSN - 1058-8388
DOI - 10.1002/dvdy.21517
Subject(s) - fgf and mesoderm formation , mesoderm , biology , neurula , intermediate mesoderm , fibroblast growth factor , paraxial mesoderm , xenopus , microbiology and biotechnology , gastrulation , lateral plate mesoderm , nodal , genetics , embryonic stem cell , embryo , embryogenesis , gene , receptor
FGF signaling is important for the formation of mesoderm in vertebrates, and when it is perturbed in Xenopus , most trunk and tail mesoderm fails to form. Here we have further dissected the activities of FGF in patterning the embryo by addressing its inductive and maintenance roles. We show that FGF signaling is necessary for the establishment of xbra expression in addition to its well‐characterized role in maintaining xbra expression. The role of FGF signaling in organizer formation is not clear in Xenopus . We find that FGF signaling is essential for the initial specification of paraxial mesoderm but not for activation of several pan‐mesodermal and most organizer genes; however, early FGF signaling is necessary for the maintenance of organizer gene expression into the neurula stage. Inhibition of FGF signaling prevents VegT activation of specific mesodermal transcripts. These findings illuminate how FGF signaling contributes to the establishment of distinct types of mesoderm. Developmental Dynamics 237:1243‐1254, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.