Coordinate involvement of Nodal-dependent inhibition and Wnt-dependent activation in the maintenance of organizer-specific bmp2b in zebrafish

Int J Dev Biol. 2016;60(1-3):13-9. doi: 10.1387/ijdb.150193yx.

Abstract

A vertebrate signaling center, known in zebrafish as the organizer, is essential for axis patterning and formation and is regulated by multiple cell signaling pathways, including Wnt, Nodal, and Bmp. Organizer-specific Bmp2b plays important roles in the maintenance of the Bmp activity gradient and dorsal-ventral patterning. However, it is unknown how transcription of bmp2b in the organizer is regulated. In this study, we generated a bmp2b transgenic line Tsg(-2.272bmp2b:gfp) that reproduced organizer-specific bmp2b expression. Dissection analysis revealed that a 0.273-kb minimal promoter was indispensable for bmp2b expression in the dorsal organizer. Reporter assays showed that organizer-specific bmp2b is negatively regulated by the Nodal signal and positively regulated by the Wnt signal in both embryos and cell lines. Promoter analysis and chromatin-immunoprecipitation (ChIP) indicated that one consensus Smad-binding element (SBE) (CAGAC) and one Lef/Tcf-binding element (LBE) (AGATAA) were present in the 0.273-kb promoter, and could be directly bound by Smad2 and β-catenin proteins. Together, these results suggest that maintenance of organizer-specific bmp2b expression involves opposite and concerted regulation by Nodal and Wnt signaling.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Animals, Genetically Modified
  • Binding Sites / genetics
  • Body Patterning / genetics
  • Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2 / genetics*
  • Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2 / metabolism
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Embryo, Nonmammalian / embryology
  • Embryo, Nonmammalian / metabolism
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
  • HEK293 Cells
  • Humans
  • In Situ Hybridization
  • Nodal Protein / genetics*
  • Nodal Protein / metabolism
  • Organizers, Embryonic / metabolism*
  • Promoter Regions, Genetic / genetics
  • Signal Transduction / genetics
  • Smad2 Protein / metabolism
  • Wnt Signaling Pathway / genetics*
  • Zebrafish / embryology
  • Zebrafish / genetics*
  • Zebrafish / metabolism
  • Zebrafish Proteins / genetics*
  • Zebrafish Proteins / metabolism
  • beta Catenin / metabolism

Substances

  • Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2
  • Nodal Protein
  • Smad2 Protein
  • Zebrafish Proteins
  • beta Catenin
  • bmp2b protein, zebrafish
  • smad2 protein, zebrafish