PUBLICATION

Twisted gastrulation is a conserved extracellular BMP antagonist

Authors
Ross, J.J., Shimmi, O., Vilmos, P., Petryk, A., Kim, H., Gaudenz, K., Hermanson, S., Ekker, S.C., O'Connor, M.B., and Marsh, J.L.
ID
ZDB-PUB-010405-1
Date
2001
Source
Nature   410(6827): 479-483 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Ekker, Stephen C., Hermanson, Spencer, Kim, Hyon
Keywords
none
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Bone Morphogenetic Proteins/antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Bone Morphogenetic Proteins/metabolism
  • Chromosome Mapping
  • Cloning, Molecular
  • Conserved Sequence
  • Drosophila
  • Drosophila Proteins*
  • Gastrula/metabolism*
  • Gene Expression
  • Glycoproteins*
  • Humans
  • Insect Proteins/genetics
  • Insect Proteins/metabolism
  • Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins*
  • Mice
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Protein Binding
  • Proteins/chemistry
  • Proteins/genetics
  • Proteins/metabolism*
  • Proteins/physiology*
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins/metabolism
  • Signal Transduction*
  • Xenopus
  • Zebrafish
PubMed
11260716 Full text @ Nature
Abstract
Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signalling regulates embryonic dorsal-ventral cell fate decisions in flies, frogs and fish. BMP activity is controlled by several secreted factors including the antagonists chordin and short gastrulation (SOG). Here we show that a second secreted protein, Twisted gastrulation (Tsg), enhances the antagonistic activity of Sog/chordin. In Drosophila, visualization of BMP signalling using anti-phospho-Smad staining shows that the tsg and sog loss-of-function phenotypes are very similar. In S2 cells and imaginal discs, TSG and SOG together make a more effective inhibitor of BMP signalling than either of them alone. Blocking Tsg function in zebrafish with morpholino oligonucleotides causes ventralization similar to that produced by chordin mutants. Co-injection of sub-inhibitory levels of morpholines directed against both Tsg and chordin synergistically enhances the penetrance of the ventralized phenotype. We show that Tsgs from different species are functionally equivalent, and conclude that Tsg is a conserved protein that functions with SOG/chordin to antagonize BMP signalling.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping