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A truncated activin receptor inhibits mesoderm induction and formation of axial structures in Xenopus embryos

Nature volume 359, pages 609–614 (1992)Cite this article

Abstract

Activins can induce mesoderm in embryonic explants and have been proposed as the natural inducer in Xenopus. A mutant activin receptor that inhibits activin signalling is used to show that activin is required for the induction of mesoderm in vivo and the patterning of the embryonic body plan. Blocking the activin signal transduction pathway also reveals autonomous induction of a neural marker and unmasks a relationship between activin and fibroblast growth factor.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Harvard University, 7 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138, USA

    Ali Hemmati-Brivanlou & Douglas A. Melton

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  1. Ali Hemmati-Brivanlou
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  2. Douglas A. Melton
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Hemmati-Brivanlou, A., Melton, D. A truncated activin receptor inhibits mesoderm induction and formation of axial structures in Xenopus embryos. Nature 359, 609–614 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1038/359609a0

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