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Head induction by simultaneous repression of Bmp and Wnt signalling in Xenopus

Nature volume 389, pages 517–519 (1997)Cite this article

Abstract

The Spemann organizer of the amphibian embryo can be subdivided into two discrete activities, namely trunk organizer and head organizer1. Several factors secreted from the organizer that are involved in trunk organization are thought to act by repressing Bmp signalling2,3,4. With the exception of the secreted factor cerberus5, little is known about head-organizer inducers. Here we show that co-expression of a dominant-negative Bmp receptor with inhibitors of the Wnt-signalling pathway in Xenopus leads to the induction of complete secondary axes, including a head. This induction does not require expression of the siamois marker of Nieuwkoop centre signalling, suggesting that cells are directly shifting to head-organizer fate. Furthermore, we find that cerberus is a potent inhibitor of Wnt signalling. Our results indicate that head-organizer activity results from the simultaneous repression of Bmp and Wnt signalling and they suggest a mechanism for region-specific induction by the organizer.

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Figure 1: Head induction by simultaneous inhibition of Bmp and Wnt signalling.
Figure 2: Induction of head organizer by inhibition of Bmp and Wnt signalling is direct.

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Acknowledgements

We thank R. Harland, R. Moon, S. Sokol and M. Ueno for constructs, and P. Monaghan for critically reading the manuscript. This work was supported by the DFG.

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  1. Division of Molecular Embryology, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, Heidelberg, D-69120, Germany

    Andrei Glinka, Wei Wu, Darya Onichtchouk, Claudia Blumenstock & Christof Niehrs

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  1. Andrei Glinka
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Correspondence to Christof Niehrs.

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Glinka, A., Wu, W., Onichtchouk, D. et al. Head induction by simultaneous repression of Bmp and Wnt signalling in Xenopus . Nature 389, 517–519 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1038/39092

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