A conserved system for dorsal-ventral patterning in insects and vertebrates involving sog and chordin

Article Abstract:

Short gastrulation (sog), located in the ventrolateral region of the embryo, is functionally homologous to the Xenopus' chordin gene, located in the dorsal blastophore lip of the embryo and in dorsal mesoderm, especially in the notochord. Messenger RNA injection of either gene into Drosophila promotes ventral development while either, in Xenopus, can promote dorsal development. Molecular conservation of dorsoventral patterning mechanisms during evolution is discussed.

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Upside-down ideas vindicated

Article Abstract:

Drosophila, Xenopus and mouse embryos have the same spatial organization of the prospective central nervous system, epidermis and amnion, as well as the somatic, visceral and extra-embryonic mesoderm. Morphogenetic systems' polarity is conserved relative to each other and not to the dorsal-ventral axis of the organism. The body plan of vertebrates and arthropods is the same but the dorsal-ventral axis is inverted.

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Nodal is a novel TGF-beta-like gene expressed in the mouse node during gastrulation

Article Abstract:

Nodal is a gene expressed in the mouse node during gastrulation which may encode a molecule necessary for the differentiation of ectodermal cells into mesoderm and subsequent formation of axial structures. Nodal encodes a molecule similar to transforming growth factor beta. This molecule is first expressed at the time of mesoderm formation and then localizes in an anterior node of the primitive-streak embryo.

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