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. 1998 Aug 3;17(15):4414-25.
doi: 10.1093/emboj/17.15.4414.

The Spemann organizer-expressed zinc finger gene Xegr-1 responds to the MAP kinase/Ets-SRF signal transduction pathway

F Panitz  1 , B Krain, T Hollemann, A Nordheim, T Pieler
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The Spemann organizer-expressed zinc finger gene Xegr-1 responds to the MAP kinase/Ets-SRF signal transduction pathway

F Panitz et al. EMBO J. .

Abstract

The transcriptional activity of a set of genes, which are all expressed in overlapping spatial and temporal patterns within the Spemann organizer of Xenopus embryos, can be modulated by peptide growth factors. We identify Xegr-1, a zinc finger protein-encoding gene, as a novel member of this group of genes. The spatial expression characteristics of Xegr-1 during gastrulation are most similar to those of Xbra. Making use of animal cap explants, analysis of the regulatory events that govern induction of Xegr-1 gene activity reveals that, in sharp contrast to transcriptional regulation of Xbra, activation of Ets-serum response factor (SRF) transcription factor complexes is required and sufficient for Xegr-1 gene expression. This finding provides the first indication for Ets-SRF complexes bound to serum response elements to be activated during gastrulation. MAP kinase signalling cascades can induce and sustain expression of both Xegr-1 and Xbra. Ectopic Xbra can induce Xegr-1 transcription by an indirect mechanism that appears to operate via primary activation of fibroblast growth factor secretion. These findings define a cascade of events that links Xbra activity to the signal-regulated control of Xegr-1 transcription in the context of early mesoderm induction in Xenopus laevis.

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