TY - JOUR
T1 - Expression of the mouse cerberus-related gene, Cerr1, suggests a role in anterior neural induction and somitogenesis
AU - Shawlot, William
AU - Deng, Jian Min
AU - Behringer, Richard R.
PY - 1998/5/26
Y1 - 1998/5/26
N2 - The Xenopus cerberus gene encodes a secreted factor that is expressed in the anterior endomesoderm of gastrula stage embryos and can induce the formation of ectopic heads when its mRNA is injected into Xenopus embryos [Bouwmeester, T., Kim, S., Lu, B. and De Robertis, E. M. (1996) Nature (London) 382, 595-601]. Here we describe the existence of a cerberus-related gene, Cerr1, in the mouse. Cerr1 encodes a putative secreted protein that is 48% identical to cerberus over a 110-amino acid region. Analysis of a mouse interspecific backcross panel demonstrated that Cerr1 mapped to the central portion of mouse chromosome 4. In early gastrula stage mouse embryos, Cerr1 is expressed in the anterior visceral endoderm and in the anterior definitive endoderm. In somite stage embryos, Cerr1 expression is restricted to the most recently formed somites and in the anterior presomitic mesoderm. Germ layer explant recombination assays demonstrated that Cerr1-expressing somitic- presomitic mesoderm, but not older Cerr1-nonexpressing somitic mesoderm, was able to mimic the anterior neuralizing ability of anterior mesendoderm and maintain Otx2 expression in competent ectoderm. In most Lim1-/- headless embryos, Cerr1 expression in the anterior endoderm was weak or absent. These results suggest that Cerr1 may play a role in anterior neural induction and somite formation during mouse development.
AB - The Xenopus cerberus gene encodes a secreted factor that is expressed in the anterior endomesoderm of gastrula stage embryos and can induce the formation of ectopic heads when its mRNA is injected into Xenopus embryos [Bouwmeester, T., Kim, S., Lu, B. and De Robertis, E. M. (1996) Nature (London) 382, 595-601]. Here we describe the existence of a cerberus-related gene, Cerr1, in the mouse. Cerr1 encodes a putative secreted protein that is 48% identical to cerberus over a 110-amino acid region. Analysis of a mouse interspecific backcross panel demonstrated that Cerr1 mapped to the central portion of mouse chromosome 4. In early gastrula stage mouse embryos, Cerr1 is expressed in the anterior visceral endoderm and in the anterior definitive endoderm. In somite stage embryos, Cerr1 expression is restricted to the most recently formed somites and in the anterior presomitic mesoderm. Germ layer explant recombination assays demonstrated that Cerr1-expressing somitic- presomitic mesoderm, but not older Cerr1-nonexpressing somitic mesoderm, was able to mimic the anterior neuralizing ability of anterior mesendoderm and maintain Otx2 expression in competent ectoderm. In most Lim1-/- headless embryos, Cerr1 expression in the anterior endoderm was weak or absent. These results suggest that Cerr1 may play a role in anterior neural induction and somite formation during mouse development.
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U2 - 10.1073/pnas.95.11.6198
DO - 10.1073/pnas.95.11.6198
M3 - Article
C2 - 9600941
AN - SCOPUS:13144255713
SN - 0027-8424
VL - 95
SP - 6198
EP - 6203
JO - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
JF - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
IS - 11
ER -