Pre-existent pattern in Xenopus animal pole cells revealed by induction with activin

Activin, a peptide growth factor related to tumour growth factor-beta, has been implicated in early inductive interactions in vertebrates and can induce Xenopus blastula ectodermal explants to develop a rudimentary axial pattern with anteroposterior and dorsoventral polarity. Here we demonstrate tha...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature (London) 1991-05, Vol.351 (6325), p.409-411
Main Authors: Sokol, S, Melton, D. A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Activins
Animals
Biological and medical sciences
Cell Compartmentation
Cellular biology
Cleavage Stage, Ovum - cytology
Cleavage Stage, Ovum - physiology
Early stages. Segmentation. Gastrulation. Neurulation
Ectoderm - physiology
Embryology: invertebrates and vertebrates. Teratology
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Hormones
Inhibins - physiology
Morphogenesis
Xenopus
Xenopus laevis - embryology
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Summary:Activin, a peptide growth factor related to tumour growth factor-beta, has been implicated in early inductive interactions in vertebrates and can induce Xenopus blastula ectodermal explants to develop a rudimentary axial pattern with anteroposterior and dorsoventral polarity. Here we demonstrate that prospective dorsal and ventral regions of the ectoderm respond differently to the same concentration of activin. Thus, activin does not seem to endow ectodermal cells with polarity but rather reveals a pre-existent pattern. Our results suggest that patterning of mesoderm is determined not only by a localized inducer, but also by the differential competence of cells in the responding tissue.
ISSN:0028-0836
1476-4687
DOI:10.1038/351409a0