Project description:The Kinase SGK1 in the Endoderm and Mesoderm Promotes Ectodermal Survival by Downregulating Components of the Death-Inducing Signaling Complex
Project description:Pax3 and Zic1 trigger the early neural crest gene regulatory network by the direct activation of multiple key neural crest specifiers [Xenopus_laevis]
Project description:Pax3 and Zic1 trigger the early neural crest gene regulatory network by the direct activation of multiple key neural crest specifiers [X_laevis_2]
Project description:RNA sequencing has allowed high-throughput screening of differential gene expression in many tissues and organisms. Xenopus laevis is a classical embryological and cell-free extract model system, but its genomic sequence had been lacking due to difficulties arising from allotetraploidy. There is currently much excitement surrounding the release of the completed X. laevis genome (version 9.1) by the Joint Genome Institute (JGI), which provides a platform for genome-wide studies. Here we present a deep RNA-seq dataset of transcripts expressed in dorsal and ventral lips of the early Xenopus gastrula embryo using the new genomic information, which was further annotated by blast searches against the human proteome. Overall, our findings confirm previous results from differential screenings using other methods that uncovered classical dorsal genes such as Chordin, Noggin and Cerberus, as well as ventral genes such as Sizzled, Ventx, Wnt8 and BAMBI. Complete transcriptome-wide Excel files of mRNAs suitable for data mining are presented, which include many novel dorsal- and ventral-specific genes. RNA-seq was very quantitative and reproducible, and allowed us to define dorsal and ventral signatures useful for gene set expression analyses (GSEA). As an example of a new gene, we present here data on an organizer-specific secreted protein tyrosine kinase known as Pkdcc (protein kinase domain containing, cytoplasmic) or Vlk (vertebrate lonesome kinase). Overexpression experiments indicate that Pkdcc can act as a negative regulator of Wnt/ β-catenin signaling independently of its kinase activity. We conclude that RNA-seq in combination with the Xenopus laevis complete genome now available provides a powerful tool for unraveling cell-cell signaling pathways during embryonic induction.
Project description:Sox9 acts together with Sox5 or Sox6 as a master regulator for chondrocyte differentiation; however, how these transcription factors functionally interact and collaborate to regulate chondrogenesis remains unclear. Here we show that the protein kinase MLTK plays an essential role in the onset of chondrogenesis through triggering the induction of Sox6 by Sox9. Knockdown of MLTK in Xenopus embryos results in drastic loss of craniofacial cartilages without defects in neural crest formation. We also find that Sox6 is specifically induced during craniofacial chondrogenesis and this induction is inhibited by MLTK knockdown. Remarkably, Sox6-knockdown embryos display essentially the same phenotype as the MLTK-knockdown embryos; the drastic loss of cartilages and the marked down-regulation of genes involved in chondrogenesis. Microarray analysis reveals a remarkable similarity between Sox6-depleted and MLTK-depleted embryos in their gene expression pattern. Moreover, we find that ectopic expression of MLTK can induce Sox6 expression in a Sox9-dependent manner. These results identify a novel, key regulator for chondrogenesis. We used microarrays to describe the genome-wide gene expression profiles of xMLTK-depleted and xSox6-depleted embryos.