K. Goldstone et Cr. Sharpe, THE EXPRESSION OF XIF3 IN UNDIFFERENTIATED ANTERIOR NEUROECTODERM, BUT NOT IN PRIMARY NEURONS, IS INDUCED BY THE NEURALIZING AGENT NOGGIN, The International journal of developmental biology, 42(6), 1998, pp. 757-762
The gene XIF3 encodes a neural-specific type-ill intermediate filament
protein whose expression in the embryo precedes that of the neurofila
ments by several hours. We now show, by in situ hybridization, that it
is expressed at the neurula stage in primary neurons and, to a lesser
extent, in undifferentiated anterior neuroectoderm. At the swimming t
adpole stage, strong expression is restricted to the midbrain-hindbrai
n boundary, even-numbered rhombomeres of the hindbrain and the Vth and
VIIth cranial ganglia. XIF3 gene expression can be induced in ectoder
mal cells (animal caps) derived from blastula when grown to the neurul
a stage in the presence of the neuralizing agent noggin. In agreement
with the proposed ability of noggin to neuralize, but not to promote n
euronal differentiation, we find that the pattern of noggin-inducible
XIF3 expression in animal caps is consistent with expression in undiff
erentiated anterior neuroectoderm but not in primary neurons.