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Development 128, 3381-3393 (2001)
© 2001 The Company of Biologists Limited

Tumorhead, a Xenopus gene product that inhibits neural differentiation through regulation of proliferation

Chuan Fen Wu1, Hisashi Nakamura1, Agnes Pui-Yee Chan1, Yi-Hong Zhou1, Tongyu Cao1,*, Jian Kuang2, Siew-Ging Gong3, Guangan He2 and Laurence D. Etkin1,{ddagger}

1 Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, TX 77030, USA
2 Department of Oncology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, TX 77030, USA
3 Department of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry, University of Michigan School of Dentistry, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
* Present address: Department of Cell Biology, Baylor College of Medicine Houston, TX, USA

{ddagger}Author for correspondence (e-mail: lde{at}mdanderson.org)

Accepted June 7, 2001

Tumorhead (TH) is a novel maternal gene product from Xenopus laevis containing several basic domains and a weak coiled-coil. Overexpression of wild-type TH resulted in increased proliferation of neural plate cells, causing expansion of the neural field followed by neural tube and craniofacial abnormalities. Overexpressed TH protein repressed neural differentiation and neural crest markers, but did not inhibit the neural inducers, pan-neural markers or mesodermal markers. Loss of function by injection of anti-TH antibody inhibited cell proliferation. Our data are consistent with a model in which tumorhead functions in regulating differentiation of the neural tissues but not neural induction or determination through its effect on cell proliferation.

Key words: Neural differentiation, Xenopus laevis, Maternal genes, Oocyte, Cell proliferation






© The Company of Biologists Ltd 2001