Calcium signalling during neural induction inXenopus laevisembryos

Author:

Moreau Marc1,Néant Isabelle1,Webb Sarah E2,Miller Andrew L2,Leclerc Catherine1

Affiliation:

1. Centre de Biologie du Développement, UMR 5547 and GDR 2688, Université Paul Sabatier118 route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse, France

2. Department of Biology, The Hong Kong University of Science and TechnologyClear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China

Abstract

InXenopus, experiments performed with isolated ectoderm suggest that neural determination is a ‘by default’ mechanism, which occurs when bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are antagonized by extracellular antagonists, BMP being responsible for the determination of epidermis. However, Ca2+imaging of intactXenopusembryos reveals patterns of Ca2+transients which are generated via the activation of dihydropyridine-sensitive Ca2+channels in the dorsal ectoderm but not in the ventral ectoderm. These increases in the concentration of intracellular Ca2+([Ca2+]i) appear to be necessary and sufficient to orient the ectodermal cells towards a neural fate as increasing the [Ca2+]iartificially results in neuralization of the ectoderm. We constructed a subtractive cDNA library between untreated and caffeine-treated ectoderms (to increase [Ca2+]i) and then identified early Ca2+-sensitive target genes expressed in the neural territories. One of these genes, an arginine methyltransferase, controls the expression of the early proneural gene, Zic3. Here, we discuss the evidence for the existence of an alternative model to the ‘by default’ mechanism, where Ca2+plays a central regulatory role in the expression ofZic3, an early proneural gene, and in epidermal determination which only occurs when the Ca2+-dependent signalling pathways are inactive.

Publisher

The Royal Society

Subject

General Agricultural and Biological Sciences,General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

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