File:Frog germ layer signaling.jpg

Signaling involved in Xenopus Germ Layer Formation

(A) Selected signaling pathways involved in Xenopus mesoderm and endoderm formation.

Activation of pathways indicated by ‘+++’, inhibition of pathways indicated by ‘−−−‘. Ectoderm = red, mesoderm = green, endoderm = blue. FGF signal activity is required for mesoderm formation in addition to activity of activin-like signaling (represented here by Xnr2). FGF and BMP signal inhibition with Xnr2 signal activation is involved in endoderm induction mechanisms.

(B) Selected signaling pathways involved in Xenopus mesoderm patterning. Active BMP signaling produces mesoderm with ventral character, whereas inhibition of BMP signaling produces mesoderm of dorsal character. Also, Xnr2 expressed in the dorsal region has activity to induce dorsal mesoderm.

Reference

<pubmed>17925852</pubmed>| PMC1994590 | PLoS ONE

Citation: Morris SA, Almeida AD, Tanaka H, Ohta K, Ohnuma S-i (2007) Tsukushi Modulates Xnr2, FGF and BMP Signaling: Regulation of Xenopus Germ Layer Formation. PLoS ONE 2(10): e1004. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0001004

Copyright: © 2007 Morris et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Figure 1. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0001004.g001 Journal.pone.0001004.g001.jpg