PUBLICATION

Organizer-derived Bmp2 is required for the formation of a correct Bmp activity gradient during embryonic development

Authors
Xue, Y., Zheng, X., Huang, L., Xu, P., Ma, Y., Min, Z., Tao, Q., Tao, Y., Meng, A.
ID
ZDB-PUB-140513-69
Date
2014
Source
Nature communications   5: 3766 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Meng, Anming, Xu, Peng-Fei
Keywords
none
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Blotting, Western
  • Body Patterning/physiology*
  • Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2/metabolism*
  • Chromatin Immunoprecipitation
  • DNA Primers/genetics
  • Fluorescent Antibody Technique
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental/physiology*
  • Glycoproteins/metabolism
  • In Situ Hybridization
  • Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins/metabolism
  • Luciferases
  • Microscopy, Confocal
  • Models, Biological*
  • Organizers, Embryonic/metabolism
  • Signal Transduction/physiology*
  • Smad Proteins/metabolism
  • Zebrafish/embryology*
  • Zebrafish Proteins/metabolism*
PubMed
24777107 Full text @ Nat. Commun.
Abstract
Bone morphogenetic proteins (Bmps) control dorsoventral patterning of vertebrate embryos through the establishment of a ventrodorsal gradient of the activated downstream cytoplasmic effectors Smad1/5/8. Some Bmp ligands are expressed in the ventral and lateral regions and in the organizer during gastrulation of the embryo, but it remains unclear how organizer-derived Bmps contribute to total Bmp ligand levels and to the establishment of the correct phospho-Smad1/5/8 gradient along the ventrodorsal axis. Here we demonstrate that interference with organizer-specific Bmp2b signalling in zebrafish embryos alters the phospho-Smad1/5/8 gradient throughout the ventrodorsal axis, elevates the levels of the Bmp antagonist Chordin and dorsalizes the embryos. Moreover, we show that organizer-derived Bmp2b represses chordin transcription in the organizer and contributes to the control of the Chordin gradient. Combining these experimental results with simulations of Bmp's reaction-diffusion dynamics, our data indicate that organizer-produced Bmp2b is required for the establishment and maintenance of a Bmp activity gradient and for appropriate embryonic dorsoventral patterning during gastrulation.
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