PUBLICATION

An ancient chordin-like gene in organizer formation of Hydra

Authors
Rentzsch, F., Guder, C., Vocke, D., Hobmayer, B., and Holstein, T.W.
ID
ZDB-PUB-070330-9
Date
2007
Source
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America   104(9): 3249-3254 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Rentzsch, Fabian
Keywords
axis formation, bone morphogenetic protein/Chordin, Cnidaria, regeneration, signaling
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Biological Evolution
  • Body Patterning/genetics*
  • Body Patterning/physiology
  • Bone Morphogenetic Proteins/antagonists & inhibitors
  • Cloning, Molecular
  • DNA Primers
  • Embryo, Nonmammalian/metabolism*
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental*
  • Glycoproteins/genetics*
  • Glycoproteins/pharmacology
  • Hydra/embryology*
  • Hydra/genetics*
  • In Situ Hybridization
  • Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins/genetics*
  • Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins/pharmacology
  • Microinjections
  • Mutation/genetics
  • Organizers, Embryonic/physiology
  • Signal Transduction/genetics
  • Signal Transduction/physiology
  • Zebrafish/embryology*
  • Zebrafish/metabolism
PubMed
17360633 Full text @ Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA
Abstract
Signaling centers or organizers play a key role in axial patterning processes in animal embryogenesis. The function of most vertebrate organizers involves the activity of secreted antagonists of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) such as Chordin or Noggin. Although BMP homologs have been isolated from many phyla, the evolutionary origin of the antagonistic BMP/Chordin system in organizer signaling is presently unknown. Here we describe a Chordin-like molecule (HyChdl) from Hydra that inhibits BMP activity in zebrafish embryos and acts in Hydra axis formation when new head organizers are formed during budding and regeneration. hychdl transcripts are also up-regulated in the head regeneration-deficient mutant strain reg-16. Accordingly, HyChdl has a function in organizer formation, but not in head differentiation. Our data indicate that the BMP/Chordin antagonism is a basic property of metazoan signaling centers that was invented in early metazoan evolution to set up axial polarity.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping