Fig. 5

Summary of developmental functions of dis3l2. Schematic representation to synopsize the role of dis3l2 in early embryogenesis. dis3l2 depletion results in reduced Akt and Gsk3β signaling, resulting in upregulation of apoptosis pathways involving bim, puma, foxo and effector Caspases. This results in massive surge of apoptosis in the embryonic neural tissue. Concomitantly, dis3l2 depletion also results in upregulation of cell cycle regulators such as Cdk1, p21 and p27, which in turn further upregulate the apoptotic mechanisms. Hence, the embryos show myriad of mitotic defects during early embryogenesis. Additionally, the dis3l2 morphants exhibit reduced expression of neural crest specifier genes, resulting in severe craniofacial anomalies at larval stages