Early stages of induction of anterior head ectodermal properties in Xenopus embryos are mediated by transcriptional cofactor ldb1.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Specific molecules involved in early inductive signaling from anterior neural tissue to the placodal ectoderm to establish a lens-forming bias, as well as their regulatory factors, remain largely unknown. In this study, we sought to identify and characterize these molecules.

Results

Using an expression cloning strategy to isolate genes with lens-inducing activity, we identified the transcriptional cofactor ldb1. This, together with evidence for its nuclear dependence, suggests its role as a regulatory factor, not a direct signaling molecule. We propose that ldb1 mediates induction of early lens genes in our functional assay by transcriptional activation of lens-inducing signals. Gain-of-function assays demonstrate that the inductive activity of the anterior neural

SUBMITTER: Plautz CZ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4237673 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature