Nodal signaling has dual roles in fate specification and directed migration during germ layer segregation

Liu, Zairan; Woo, Stephanie; Weiner, Orion D.

doi:10.1242/dev.163535

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RESEARCH ARTICLE| 01 January 2018

Nodal signaling has dual roles in fate specification and directed migration during germ layer segregation

Zairan Liu,

Zairan Liu

1

Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA

2

Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA

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Stephanie Woo,

Stephanie Woo

3

School of Natural Sciences, University of California, Merced, CA 95343, USA

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Orion D. Weiner

0000-0002-1778-6543

Orion D. Weiner *

1

Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA

2

Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA

*Author for correspondence: orion.weiner@ucsf.edu

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Author and article information

Zairan Liu

1

Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA

2

Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA

Stephanie Woo

3

School of Natural Sciences, University of California, Merced, CA 95343, USA

Orion D. Weiner

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1778-6543

*

1

Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA

2

Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA

*Author for correspondence: orion.weiner@ucsf.edu

Received: 16 Jan 2018

Accepted: 30 Jul 2018

Online ISSN: 1477-9129

Print ISSN: 0950-1991

Funding

National Institutes of Health (T32GM105526)

Genentech (Predoctoral Fellowship)

American Heart Association (Established Investigator Award)

2018

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Development dev.163535.

https://doi.org/10.1242/dev.163535

During gastrulation, endodermal cells actively migrate to the interior of the embryo, but the signals that initiate and coordinate this migration are poorly understood. By transplanting ectopically-induced endodermal cells far from the normal location of endoderm specification, we identified the inputs that drive internalization without the confounding influences of fate specification and global morphogenic movements. We find that Nodal signaling triggers an autocrine circuit for initiating endodermal internalization. Activation of the Nodal receptor directs endodermal specification through sox32 and also induces expression of more Nodal ligands. These ligands act in an autocrine fashion to initiate endodermal cell sorting. Our work defines an “AND” gate consisting of sox32-dependent endodermal specification and Nodal ligand reception controlling endodermal cell sorting to the inner layer of the embryo at the onset of gastrulation.

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2018

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