Abstract
We have previously shown that the early Xenopus organiser contains cells equally potent to give rise to notochord or floor plate, and that Notch signalling triggers a binary decision, favouring the floor plate fate at the expense of the notochord. Now, we present evidence that Delta1 is the ligand that triggers the binary switch, which is executed through the Notch-mediated activation of hairy2a in the surrounding cells within the organiser, impeding their involution through the blastopore and promoting their incorporation into the hairy2a+ notoplate precursors (future floor-plate cells) in the dorsal non-involuting marginal zone.
Publication types
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
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Animals
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Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors
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Cell Lineage
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Down-Regulation
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Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental*
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Immunohistochemistry
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In Situ Hybridization
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Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
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Membrane Proteins / metabolism*
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Models, Biological
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Notochord / metabolism*
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RNA / metabolism
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Receptors, Notch
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Signal Transduction
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Xenopus Proteins / physiology*
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Xenopus laevis
Substances
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Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors
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HES4 protein, Xenopus
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Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
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Membrane Proteins
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Receptors, Notch
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Xenopus Proteins
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delta protein
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RNA