Differential expression of the Groucho-related genes 4 and 5 during early development of Xenopus laevis

Recently, we demonstrated that the Xenopus Wnt effector XTcf-3 interacts wi th Groucho-related transcriptional repressors (Roose et al., 1998. Nature 3 95, 608-612). A long form of the Groucho-related genes, XGrg-4, was shown t o repress axis formation in the Xenopus embryo, whereas a short form, XGrg- 5, acted as a potentiator. In this study the temporal and spatial expressio n of XGrg-4 and XGrg-5 is described in Xenopus laevis embryos. Both genes a re maternally expressed. In the gastrula, transcripts of both genes are pre sent in the animal as well as the vegetal region. At later stages, XGrg-4 a nd XGrg-5 show specific patterns of expression in the central nervous syste m (CNS), cranial ganglia, eyes, otic vesicles, stomodeal-hypophyseal anlage , cement gland, head mesenchyme, branchial arches, neural crest and derivat ives, somites, pronephros, pronephric duct, heart and tailbud. Differences in the expression of XGrg-4 and XGrg-5 were found in the CNS, cranial gangl ia, olfactory placodes, stomodeal-pharyngeal anlage, cement gland, head mes enchyme and ectoderm. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights res erved.