Ventx Factors Function as Nanog-Like Guardians of Developmental Potential in Xenopus

Scerbo, Pierluigi; Girardot, Fabrice; Vivien, Céline; Markov, Gabriel V.; Luxardi, Guillaume; Demeneix, Barbara; Kodjabachian, Laurent; Coen, Laurent

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0036855

Cited by 46 publications

(100 citation statements)

References 77 publications

(119 reference statements)

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“…More work is required to determine whether different genes take on the roles of nanog, pou5f1 and the Sox genes in Xenopus or whether there are more fundamental differences between the species. The Ventx genes have been proposed to take on some nanog-like activities in Xenopus, but these are not expressed maternally, and instead are activated strongly at around the time of the MBT (Scerbo et al, 2012). These recent findings present similarities with zygotic transcription initiation in the Drosophila embryo, where the maternal factor Zelda (Vielfaltig -FlyBase) prepares specific genes to be the first to be expressed during the MZT (Liang et al, 2008;Harrison et al, 2011;Nien et al, 2011).…”

Section: Maternal Control Of the Mztmentioning

confidence: 99%

New insights into the maternal to zygotic transition

Langley¹,

Smith²,

et al. 2014

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The initial phases of embryonic development occur in the absence of de novo transcription and are instead controlled by maternally inherited mRNAs and proteins. During this initial period, cell cycles are synchronous and lack gap phases. Following this period of transcriptional silence, zygotic transcription begins, the maternal influence on development starts to decrease, and dramatic changes to the cell cycle take place. Here, we discuss recent work that is shedding light on the maternal to zygotic transition and the interrelated but distinct mechanisms regulating the onset of zygotic transcription and changes to the cell cycle during early embryonic development.

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Section: Maternal Control Of the Mztmentioning

confidence: 99%

New insights into the maternal to zygotic transition

Langley¹,

Smith²,

et al. 2014

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“…Recent evidence suggests that amphibian ventx transcription factors, which have Nanog-like activity, are also involved in regulating the timing of cell commitment to specific lineages in Xenopus (Scerbo et al, 2012). Both Lin28 and Nanog-related factors are implicated in the maintenance of the pluripotent state in mammalian stem cells.…”

Section: Lin28 Regulation Of Timing In Early Amphibian Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lin28 proteins are required for germ layer specification in Xenopus

et al. 2013

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SUMMARYLin28 family proteins share a unique structure, with both zinc knuckle and cold shock RNA-binding domains, and were originally identified as regulators of developmental timing in Caenorhabditis elegans. They have since been implicated as regulators of pluripotency in mammalian stem cells in culture. Using Xenopus tropicalis, we have undertaken the first analysis of the effects on the early development of a vertebrate embryo resulting from global inhibition of the Lin28 family. The Xenopus genome contains two Lin28-related genes, lin28a and lin28b. lin28a is expressed zygotically, whereas lin28b is expressed both zygotically and maternally. Both lin28a and lin28b are expressed in pluripotent cells of the Xenopus embryo and are enriched in cells that respond to mesoderminducing signals. The development of axial and paraxial mesoderm is severely abnormal in lin28 knockdown (morphant) embryos. In culture, the ability of pluripotent cells from the embryo to respond to the FGF and activin/nodal-like mesoderm-inducing pathways is compromised following inhibition of lin28 function. Furthermore, there are complex effects on the temporal regulation of, and the responses to, mesoderm-inducing signals in lin28 morphant embryos. We provide evidence that Xenopus lin28 proteins play a key role in choreographing the responses of pluripotent cells in the early embryo to the signals that regulate germ layer specification, and that this early function is probably independent of the recognised role of Lin28 proteins in negatively regulating let-7 miRNA biogenesis.KEY WORDS: lin28a, lin28b, Xenopus, Mesoderm, miRNA, let-7, Pluripotency, Germ layer, FGF, Activin, Nodal Lin28 proteins are required for germ layer specification in Xenopus Laura Faas, Fiona C. Warrander, Richard Maguire, Simon A. Ramsbottom, Diana Quinn, Paul Genever and Harry V. Isaacs* DEVELOPMENT 977 RESEARCH ARTICLE Lin28 function in Xenopus mesoderm specification. This represents the first evidence that Lin28 family genes play a key role in regulating the timing of, and responses to, growth factor signalling in the early development of a vertebrate embryo.A key finding of this study is that, although amphibian lin28 proteins exhibit let-7 miRNA-binding activity, no significant effects on the abundance of let-7a, let-7f and let-7g miRNAs are detected in lin28 knockdown embryos, at the stage when germ layer specification occurs. Our data indicate that the requirement for lin28 function in the initial specification of the mesoderm is likely to be independent of its role in let-7 family biogenesis. By contrast, lin28 function seems to be required to regulate let-7 levels at later stages, after germ layer specification, indicating differential roles for lin28 in amphibian development: a let-7-independent early role and a let-7-dependent later role. MATERIALS AND METHODS Embryo methodsX. tropicalis embryos were produced as previously described (Khokha et al., 2005;Winterbottom et al., 2010). Embryos were injected at the 2-or 4-cell stage and cultured at 22°C. Anima...

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“…We conclude that BMP overactivation produces inhibitory effects that make it impossible for inner layer cells to initiate their specification programme. Such inhibitory effects might include the artificial maintenance of pluripotency regulators by excess BMP activity (Morrison and Brickman, 2006;Scerbo et al, 2012;Ying et al, 2003). However, the inhibition caused by BMP may be overcome, to a certain extent, by the Notch pathway, as suggested by the antagonism observed when the BMP and Notch pathways were concomitantly manipulated in opposite ways (supplementary material Fig.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

BMP signalling controls the construction of vertebrate mucociliary epithelia

et al. 2015

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Despite the importance of mucociliary epithelia in animal physiology, the mechanisms controlling their establishment are poorly understood. Using the developing Xenopus epidermis and regenerating human upper airways, we reveal the importance of BMP signalling for the construction of vertebrate mucociliary epithelia. In Xenopus, attenuation of BMP activity is necessary for the specification of multiciliated cells (MCCs), ionocytes and small secretory cells (SSCs). Conversely, BMP activity is required for the proper differentiation of goblet cells. Our data suggest that the BMP and Notch pathways interact to control fate choices in the developing epidermis. Unexpectedly, BMP activity is also necessary for the insertion of MCCs, ionocytes and SSCs into the surface epithelium. In human, BMP inhibition also strongly stimulates the formation of MCCs in normal and pathological (cystic fibrosis) airway samples, whereas BMP overactivation has the opposite effect. This work identifies the BMP pathway as a key regulator of vertebrate mucociliary epithelium differentiation and morphogenesis.

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Ventx Factors Function as Nanog-Like Guardians of Developmental Potential in Xenopus

Cited by 46 publications

References 77 publications

New insights into the maternal to zygotic transition

New insights into the maternal to zygotic transition

Lin28 proteins are required for germ layer specification in Xenopus

BMP signalling controls the construction of vertebrate mucociliary epithelia

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