Fig. 5. Kermit 2/XGIPC is required for IGF1 induced eye formation in whole embryos and in animal cap explants. (A) Kermit 2 is required for IGF1 induced eye formation in Xenopus embryos. XIGF1 mRNA (1 ng), kermit 2 morpholino (40 ng), or both, were injected into one dorsal animal blastomere of four-cell/eight-cell embryos. IGF1 injection alone leads to embryos with expanded eyes and cement glands and co-injection of kermit 2 morpholino specifically inhibits the IGF1-induced eye phenotype. (B) Kermit 2 is required for IGF1-induced eye marker expression in animal cap explants. XIGF1 mRNA alone (2 ng), or with control morpholino (CM) or kermit 2 morpholino (K2M) was injected into four animal blastomeres of four-cell/eight-cell embryos. Animal caps were explanted from stage 9 blastulae, cultured until stage 20, and then harvested for RT-PCR. St. 20 WE indicates the whole embryo control; uninjected represents animal caps from uninjected embryos; -RT, without reverse transcriptase; EF1 is the loading control. Kermit 2 morpholino specifically reduces XIGF1-induced expression of the presumptive eye markers Xrx and Pax6.