Regulation of early Xenopus development by the PIAS genes.

Abstract

Originally identified as cytokine inhibitors, protein inhibitors of activated STAT (PIAS) are shown to regulate activities of a plethora of proteins and influence diverse processes such as immune response, cancer formation, and cell cycle progression. However, the roles of PIAS during vertebrate embryogenesis are less understood. In this study, we report isolation and initial characterization of all four PIAS genes from Xenopus laevis. The Xenopus PIAS genes are expressed throughout early development and have overlapping and distinct expression patterns, with, for example, high levels of PIAS2 in the notochord and strong expression of PIAS4 in the neural and neural crest derivatives. Overexpression of PIAS disrupts mesoderm induction and impairs body axis formation. PIAS proteins have differential ability to regulate signals from the growth factors activin, bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4), and Wnt8. Our data suggest that Xenopus PIAS play important roles in mesodermal induction and patterning during early frog development.

• Authors: Brendan Burn, Selena Brown, Chenbei Chang
• Journal: Developmental dynamics : an official publication of the American Association of Anatomists (Dev Dyn) Vol. 240 Issue 9 Pg. 2120-6 (Sep 2011) ISSN: 1097-0177 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 21780242 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Chemical References

• Bone Morphogenetic Protein 4
• Bone Morphogenetic Proteins
• Protein Inhibitors of Activated STAT
• Wnt Proteins
• Xenopus Proteins
• bmp4 protein, Xenopus
• wnt8a protein, Xenopus
• Activins

Topics

• Activins (genetics, metabolism)
• Animals
• Bone Morphogenetic Protein 4 (genetics, metabolism)
• Bone Morphogenetic Proteins (genetics, metabolism)
• Embryo, Nonmammalian (metabolism)
• Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
• Mesoderm (metabolism)
• Neural Crest (embryology, metabolism)
• Notochord (embryology, metabolism)
• Protein Inhibitors of Activated STAT (genetics, metabolism)
• Wnt Proteins (genetics, metabolism)
• Xenopus
• Xenopus Proteins (genetics, metabolism)