Abstract
Embryological and genetic evidence indicates that the vertebrate head is induced by a different set of signals from those that organize trunk–tail development1,2,3,4,5,6. The gene cerberus encodes a secreted protein that is expressed in anterior endoderm and has the unique property of inducing ectopic heads in the absence of trunk structures1. Here we show that the cerberus protein functions as a multivalent growth-factor antagonist in the extracellular space: it binds to Nodal, BMP and Wnt proteins via independent sites. The expression of cerberus during gastrulation is activated by earlier nodal-related signals in endoderm and by Spemann-organizer factors that repress signalling by BMP and Wnt. In order for the head territory to form, we propose that signals involved in trunk development, such as those involving BMP, Wnt and Nodal proteins, must be inhibited in rostral regions.
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Acknowledgements
We thank L. S. Mathews, N. Ueno, R. Moon, D. Melton and K. Cho for gifts of plasmids, K.Masuhara for anti-BMP4 mAb, Genetics Institute for BMPs, and members of the De Robertis laboratory for comments. S.P., E.A., S.B. and H.G were supported by Telethon, ARC, MSTP and DFG, respectively. This work was supported by a grant from the NIH. E.M.D.R. is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator.
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Piccolo, S., Agius, E., Leyns, L. et al. The head inducer Cerberus is a multifunctional antagonist of Nodal, BMP and Wnt signals. Nature 397, 707–710 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/17820
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/17820
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