Exp Neurobiol.  2011 Sep;20(3):123-129. 10.5607/en.2011.20.3.123.

xCITED2 Induces Neural Genes in Animal Cap Explants of Xenopus Embryos

• Yoon J
• Kim JH
• Lee OJ
• Yu SB
• Kim JI
• Kim SC
• Park JB
• Lee JY
• Kim J

• KMID: 1452425
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5607/en.2011.20.3.123

Abstract

Neural tissue is arisen from presumptive ectoderm via inhibition of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling during Xenopus early development. Previous studies demonstrate that ectopic expression of dominant negative BMP4 receptor (DNBR) produces neural tissue in animal cap explants (AC) and also increases the expression level of various genes involved in neurogenesis. To investigate detail mechanism of neurogenesis in transcriptional level, we analyzed RNAs increased by DNBR using total RNA sequencing analysis and identified several candidate genes. Among them, xCITED2 (Xenopus CBP/p300-interacting transcription activator) was induced 4.6 fold by DNBR and preferentially expressed in neural tissues at tadpole stage. Ectopic expression of xCITED2 induced anterior neural genes without mesoderm induction and reduced BMP downstream genes, an eye specific marker and posterior neural marker. Taken together, these results suggest that xCITED2 may have a role in the differentiation of anterior neural tissue during Xenopus early development.

Keyword

xCITED2; DNBR; neurogenesis; Xenopus

MeSH Terms

Animals
Bone Morphogenetic Proteins
Ectoderm
Embryonic Structures
Eye
Larva
Mesoderm
Neurogenesis
RNA
Sequence Analysis, RNA
Xenopus
Bone Morphogenetic Proteins
RNA