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Mesoderm induction in early Xenopus embryos by heparin-binding growth factors

Nature volume 326, pages 197–200 (1987)Cite this article

Abstract

In early embryonic development the basic body plan arises because cells in different regions become programmed to follow different developmental pathways. We have proposed that in the early amphibian embryo this process of regional specification arises from the action of three different inducing factors, or morphogens (refs 1–5 and Fig. 1), but we have not until now had any idea of their chemical nature. In this paper we report (1) that pure basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), at very low concentrations and with high specificity, closely mimics the effect of the ventrovegetal (W) signal and (2) that the transmission of the natural VV signal can be blocked by heparin, suggesting that it may be a heparin-binding factor such as bFGF.

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Author notes

  1. J. K. Heath: Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QY, UK

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Imperial Cancer Research Fund, Developmental Biology Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK

    J. M. W. Slack, B. G. Darlington, J. K. Heath & S. F. Godsave

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  1. J. M. W. Slack
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  2. B. G. Darlington
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  3. J. K. Heath
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  4. S. F. Godsave
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Slack, J., Darlington, B., Heath, J. et al. Mesoderm induction in early Xenopus embryos by heparin-binding growth factors. Nature 326, 197–200 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1038/326197a0

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