PUBLICATION
The nieuwkoid gene characterizes and mediates a Nieuwkoop-center-like activity in the zebrafish
- Authors
- Koos, D.S. and Ho, R.K.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-981208-30
- Date
- 1998
- Source
- Current biology : CB 8: 1199-1206 (Journal)
- Registered Authors
- Ho, Robert K., Koos, David
- Keywords
- none
- MeSH Terms
-
- Amino Acid Sequence
- Animals
- Base Sequence
- Body Patterning
- DNA, Complementary
- Gastrula
- Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental*
- Genes, Homeobox*
- Homeodomain Proteins/genetics*
- Humans
- Molecular Sequence Data
- Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
- Zebrafish/embryology*
- Zebrafish/genetics*
- Zebrafish Proteins*
- PubMed
- 9811602 Full text @ Curr. Biol.
Citation
Koos, D.S. and Ho, R.K. (1998) The nieuwkoid gene characterizes and mediates a Nieuwkoop-center-like activity in the zebrafish. Current biology : CB. 8:1199-1206.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: In amphibians, the Nieuwkoop center--a primary inducing region--has a central role in the induction of dorsal mesodermal cells to form the Spemann organizer. In teleosts, such as the zebrafish, Danio rerio, the functional equivalent of the amphibian Spemann organizer is the dorsal shield. Historically, a small region of the teleost yolk syncytial layer (YSL), an extraembryonic tissue that underlies the entire blastoderm, has been implicated in dorsal shield specification. Difficulties in transplanting discrete regions of the YSL and the previous lack of localized expression patterns unique to the YSL have, however, hindered efforts to prove definitively that the YSL possesses Nieuwkoop-center-like activities. RESULTS: Here, we describe the isolation and analysis of a new homeobox gene, called nieuwkoid, which is first expressed immediately following the mid-blastula transition on the dorsal side of the zebrafish pregastrula embryo. We found that, by the onset of gastrulation, nieuwkoid expression becomes localized to a restricted region of the YSL, directly underlying the future dorsal shield. Mis-expression of nieuwkoid in early zebrafish embryos was found to be sufficient for the induction of ectopic organizer regions and secondary axes. Mis-expression of nieuwkoid by cell transplantation or by direct injection into the YSL led to the non-autonomous induction of ectopic organizer gene expression. CONCLUSIONS: The dynamic and restricted expression of the nieuwkoid gene, combined with its potent dorsalizing activity, suggests that nieuwkoid is an important component in the regionalization of the gastrula organizer, possibly characterizing and mediating an organizer-inducing/Nieuwkoop-center-like activity.
Genes / Markers
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping