Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Levine AJ
PROVIDER: S-EPMC3740937 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Jan
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Levine Ariel J AJ Levine Zachary J ZJ Brivanlou Ali H AH
Developmental biology 20080918 1
Within the TGF-beta superfamily, there are approximately forty ligands divided into two major branches: the TGF-beta/Activin/Nodal ligands and the BMP/GDF ligands. We studied the ligand GDF3 and found that it inhibits signaling by its co-family members, the BMPs; however, GDF3 has been described by others to have Nodal-like activity. Here, we show that GDF3 can activate Nodal signaling, but only at very high doses and only upon mRNA over-expression. In contrast, GDF3 inhibits BMP signaling upon ...[more]