During early mouse embryogenesis, BMP signals are necessary to prevent precocious neuroectoderm differentiation and allow for proper development of mesoderm and endoderm. However, the mechanisms by which BMP signals control the cell fate decision remain largely unknown. Now researchers from Chinese Academy of Sciences identified Ovol2 as a new transcription factor that plays a role in neuroectoderm/mesendoderm cell fate decision.
Professor JING Naihe and his group from the Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, CAS identified Ovol2, a zinc finger transcription factor, as a novel target gene downstream of BMP signaling to regulate the cell fate decision between neuroectoderm and mesendoderm. In mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs), Ovol2 is directly upregulated by BMP4 and partially mediates BMP4 function to inhibit neural conversion and promote mesodermal and endodermal differentiation. Through this mechanism, the neuroectoderm and mesendoderm are appropriately balanced, which is crucial for the proper development of the whole embryo. This mechanism might also be conserved in chick embryos.
This work entitled “The zinc finger transcription factor Ovol2 acts downstream of the bone morphogenetic protein pathway to regulate the cell fate decision between neuroectoderm and mesendoderm” has been published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry on March 1st, 2013. The research was supported by grants from the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Key Basic Research and Development Program of China and National Natural Science Foundation of China.
A schematic model showing the function of Ovol2 as a BMP downstream target during the cell fate decision between neuroectoderm and mesendoderm. (Image by JING Naihe’s group)
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