QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s):
Home     Help     Feedback     Subscriptions     Archive     Search     Table of Contents

First published online 3 November 2004
doi: 10.1242/dev.01464

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: dev.01464v1 131/23/5825    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Little, S. C. Articles by Mullins, M. C. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Little, S. C. Articles by Mullins, M. C.

Twisted gastrulation promotes BMP signaling in zebrafish dorsal-ventral axial patterning

Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, 1211 BRBII/III, 421 Curie Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6058, USA

^* Author for correspondence (e-mail: mullins{at}mail.med.upenn.edu)

Accepted 23 September 2004

In vertebrates and invertebrates, the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling pathway patterns cell fates along the dorsoventral (DV) axis. In vertebrates, BMP signaling specifies ventral cell fates, whereas restriction of BMP signaling by extracellular antagonists allows specification of dorsal fates. In misexpression assays, the conserved extracellular factor Twisted gastrulation (Tsg) is reported to both promote and antagonize BMP signaling in DV patterning. To investigate the role of endogenous Tsg in early DV patterning, we performed morpholino (MO)-based knockdown studies of Tsg1 in zebrafish. We found that loss of tsg1 results in a moderately strong dorsalization of the embryonic axis, suggesting that Tsg1 promotes ventral fates. Knockdown of tsg1 combined with loss of function of the BMP agonist tolloid (mini fin) or heterozygosity for the ligand bmp2b (swirl) enhanced dorsalization, supporting a role for Tsg1 in specifying ventral cell fates as a BMP signaling agonist. Moreover, loss of tsg1 partially suppressed the ventralized phenotypes of mutants of the BMP antagonists Chordin or Sizzled (Ogon). Our results support a model in which zebrafish Tsg1 promotes BMP signaling, and thus ventral cell fates, during DV axial patterning.

Key words: Twisted gastrulation, BMP signaling, Bone morphogenetic protein, Chordin, Zebrafish

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. S. Eisen and J. C. Smith Controlling morpholino experiments: don't stop making antisense Development, May 15, 2008; 135(10): 1735 - 1743. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				F. Rentzsch, J. Zhang, C. Kramer, W. Sebald, and M. Hammerschmidt Crossveinless 2 is an essential positive feedback regulator of Bmp signaling during zebrafish gastrulation Development, March 1, 2006; 133(5): 801 - 811. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. B. O'Connor, D. Umulis, H. G. Othmer, and S. S. Blair Shaping BMP morphogen gradients in the Drosophila embryo and pupal wing Development, January 15, 2006; 133(2): 183 - 193. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. Zakin, B. Reversade, H. Kuroda, K. M. Lyons, and E. M. De Robertis Sirenomelia in Bmp7 and Tsg compound mutant mice: requirement for Bmp signaling in the development of ventral posterior mesoderm Development, May 15, 2005; 132(10): 2489 - 2499. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Xie and S. Fisher Twisted gastrulation enhances BMP signaling through chordin dependent and independent mechanisms Development, January 15, 2005; 132(2): 383 - 391. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]