Relationship between Xenopus foxc2 and Shh during Xenopus laevis development

LUQUE M.E.; MÓNACO M.E.; ROSSO M.C.; SÁNCHEZ R.S.

DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY

Elsevier

Año: 2007 vol. 306 p. 187 - 187

0012-1606

During vertebrate embryogenesis, the newly formed mesoderm is allocated to the paraxial, intermediate, and lateral domains, each giving rise to different cell and tissue types. Several Fox genes are expressed during early stages of Xenopus development and are regulating diverse aspects of pattern formation of the endoderm, ectoderm and mesoderm. A number of factors have been identified that function in local signaling network to regulate early mesoderm development. Among these secreted molecules is Shh. Here, we studied the foxc2 role in the specification of mesoderm and the regulation of this gene by sonic hedgehog in the Xenopus laevis amphibian. It has been reported that foxc2 is expressed in the presomitic mesoderm along the antero-posterior axis of the embryo. In the somites is expressed only in the sclerotome but not in the dermatome and myotome. A strong expression is present in the head mesoderm particularly surrounding the eyes. In the present work a novel expression domain of foxc2 was found: the branchial arches. In order to analyse the foxc2 relationship with Shh signaling, misexpression experiments with the shh receptor (Xptc 1) were done. Our results suggest that amphibian foxc2 is involved in the fate of mesodermal layer, in a similar way of orthologue mouse gene and its expression could be regulated by Shh.