Midkine counteracts the activin signal in mesoderm induction and promotes neural formation.

Publisher: Oxford University Press Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 0376600 Publication Model: Print Cited Medium: Print ISSN: 0021-924X (Print) Linking ISSN: 0021924X NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Biochem Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: : Abingdon, UK : Oxford University Press
Original Publication: Tokyo : Japanese Biochemical Society

Cytokines*; Carrier Proteins/*physiology ; Embryonic Induction/*physiology ; Growth Substances/*physiology ; Inhibins/*antagonists & inhibitors ; Inhibins/*physiology ; Mesoderm/*physiology ; Nervous System/*embryology ; Signal Transduction/*physiology; Activins ; Animals ; Blastomeres/drug effects ; Embryonic Induction/drug effects ; Mesoderm/drug effects ; Midkine ; Signal Transduction/drug effects ; Xenopus laevis

Midkine (MK) is a heparin-binding growth factor that has been implicated in neural survival and differentiation, fibrinolysis, and carcinogenesis. It is expressed in the nervous system during early Xenopus development. In the present study, we demonstrated that injection of vegetal blastomeres with Xenopus MK at the 8-cell stage results in incomplete invagination. In the case of dorsal vegetal injection, hypertrophic neural tissue is produced. Animal caps isolated from embryos that have been injected with Xenopus MK and cultured with activin do not elongate, and all mesoderm markers examined, including both head and trunk/tail ones, are greatly diminished. In contrast, head-specific neural markers, XANF-1 and Xotx2, are induced, while trunk/tail neural markers, XlHbox6 and F-spondin, are decreased. Moreover, MK showes the same effects in animal caps injected with Xenopus Smad2 mRNA.

0 (Carrier Proteins)
0 (Cytokines)
0 (Growth Substances)
104625-48-1 (Activins)
137497-38-2 (Midkine)
57285-09-3 (Inhibins)

Date Created: 19980416 Date Completed: 19980818 Latest Revision: 20190512

20221213

10.1093/oxfordjournals.jbchem.a021942

9538212