Nodal morphogens

Nodal signals belong to the TGF-beta superfamily and are essential for the induction of mesoderm and endoderm and the determination of the left-right axis. Nodal signals can act as morphogens-they have concentration-dependent effects and can act at a distance from their source of production. Nodal a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in biology 2009-11, Vol.1 (5), p.a003459-a003459
Main Author: Schier, Alexander F
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Body Patterning
Diffusion
Endoderm - metabolism
Humans
Kinetics
Left-Right Determination Factors - metabolism
Mesoderm - metabolism
MicroRNAs - metabolism
Models, Biological
Morphogenesis
Nodal Protein - metabolism
Nodal Protein - physiology
Protein Processing, Post-Translational
Signal Transduction
Transforming Growth Factor beta - metabolism
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Summary:Nodal signals belong to the TGF-beta superfamily and are essential for the induction of mesoderm and endoderm and the determination of the left-right axis. Nodal signals can act as morphogens-they have concentration-dependent effects and can act at a distance from their source of production. Nodal and its feedback inhibitor Lefty form an activator/inhibitor pair that behaves similarly to postulated reaction-diffusion models of tissue patterning. Nodal morphogen activity is also regulated by microRNAs, convertases, TGF-beta signals, coreceptors, and trafficking factors. This article describes how Nodal morphogens pattern embryonic fields and discusses how Nodal morphogen signaling is modulated.
ISSN:1943-0264
1943-0264
DOI:10.1101/cshperspect.a003459