Birsoy Bilge, Kofron Matt, Schaible Kyle, Wylie Chris, Heasman Janet
Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Research Foundation, 3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45229-3039, USA.
Development. 2006 Jan;133(1):15-20. doi: 10.1242/dev.02144. Epub 2005 Nov 24.
Xenopus Vg 1, a transforming growth factor beta (Tgfbeta) family member, was one of the first maternally localized mRNAs identified in vertebrates. Its restriction to the vegetal pole of the egg made it the ideal candidate to be the mesoderm-inducing signal released by vegetal cells, but its function in vivo has never been resolved. We show that Vg 1 is essential for Xenopus embryonic development, and is required for mesoderm induction and for the expression of several key Bmp antagonists. Although the original Vg 1 transcript does not rescue Vg 1-depleted embryos, we report that a second allele is effective. This work resolves the mystery of Vg 1 function, and shows it to be an essential maternal regulator of embryonic patterning.
非洲爪蟾Vg 1是一种转化生长因子β（Tgfbeta）家族成员，是在脊椎动物中最早发现的母源定位mRNA之一。它在卵的植物极的定位使其成为植物细胞释放的中胚层诱导信号的理想候选者，但其在体内的功能尚未明确。我们发现Vg 1对非洲爪蟾胚胎发育至关重要，是中胚层诱导以及几种关键Bmp拮抗剂表达所必需的。尽管原始的Vg 1转录本不能挽救Vg 1缺失的胚胎，但我们报道第二个等位基因是有效的。这项工作解开了Vg 1功能之谜，并表明它是胚胎模式形成的重要母源调节因子。
