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Cerberus is a head-inducing secreted factor expressed in the anterior endoderm of Spemann's organizer.

An abundant cDNA enriched in Spemann's organizer, cerberus, was isolated by differential screening. It encodes a secreted protein that is expressed in the anterior endomesoderm. Microinjection of cerberus mRNA into Xenopus embryos induces ectopic heads, and duplicated hearts and livers. The results suggest a role for a molecule expressed in the anterior endoderm in the induction of head structures in the vertebrate embryo.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

BMP-4 is required for hepatic specification of mouse embryonic stem cell-derived definitive endoderm.

When differentiated in the presence of activin A in serum-free conditions, mouse embryonic stem cells efficiently generate an endoderm progenitor population defined by the coexpression of either Brachyury, Foxa2 and c-Kit, or c-Kit and Cxcr4. Specification of these progenitors with bone morphogenetic protein-4 in combination with basic fibroblast growth factor and activin A results in the development of hepatic populations highly enriched (45-70%) for cells that express the alpha-fetoprotein and albumin proteins. These cells also express transcripts of Afp, Alb1, Tat, Cps1, Cyp7a1 and Cyp3a11; they secrete albumin, store glycogen, show ultrastructural characteristics of mature hepatocytes, and are able to integrate into and proliferate in injured livers in vivo and mature into hepatocytes expressing dipeptidyl peptidase IV or fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase. Together, these findings establish a developmental pathway in embryonic stem cell differentiation cultures that leads to efficient generation of cells with an immature hepatocytic phenotype.

Activins↗

Gata3 dosage governs primitive endoderm versus trophectoderm specification in embryonic stem cells.

Transcription factor (TF) dosage represents an overlooked aspect of developmental regulation. While Gata3 has traditionally been viewed as a determinant of trophectoderm (TE), its potential role in primitive endoderm (PE) has remained unclear. Here, we demonstrate that Gata3 functions as a dosage-sensitive regulator directing mutually exclusive lineage programs in mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells. Low levels of Gata3 (Gata3-L) promote PE-like transcriptional states, while high levels (Gata3-H) drive TE identity by rapidly repressing pluripotency and inducing TE markers. Genome-wide binding analysis reveals a dose-dependent redistribution of Gata3 across enhancers, with chromatin engagement consistent with pioneer factor-like activity. Functional 3D blastoid assays combined with single-cell transcriptomics further establish that Gata3 dosage alone is sufficient to instruct the spatial segregation of PE- versus TE-like compartments. These findings redefine Gata3 not merely as a TE determinant but as a central dosage-sensitive switch in lineage specification. More broadly, our results position TF dosage as a fundamental regulatory parameter that integrates enhancer selection, chromatin engagement, and spatial patterning, providing new opportunities to refine stem cell-based models and engineer developmental outcomes.

GATA3 Transcription Factor↗

Interdependent action of RalGEF and Erk in Ras-induced primitive endoderm differentiation of F9 embryonal carcinoma cells.

Previous work by us and others has implicated a role for Ral guanine exchange factors (RalGEFs) in Ras-induced cell growth and oncogenic transformation. Here we show for the first time that RalGEFs are involved in Ras-induced differentiation as well. Expression of oncogenic Ras in F9 embryonal carcinoma (EC) cells is known to induce differentiation to a primitive endoderm (PrE)-like phenotype, but the downstream signal transduction mechanisms involved are unclear. We found that PrE differentiation is induced by the Ras effector domain mutants, RasV12G37 and RasV12E38, but not by RasV12C40. Accordingly, expression of constitutively active forms of RalGEF (Rlf-CAAX) or Rafl (Raf-CAAX) is sufficient to induce differentiation. Inhibition of RalGEF activity by expression of dominant negative Ral completely abolishes Rlf-CAAX- and RasV12G37-induced differentiation, while it reduces differentiation by RasV12 and Raf-CAAX. Finally, while Rlf-CAAX does not increase Erk activity, inhibition of MEK blocks both Ras- as well as Rlf-CAAX-induced differentiation, suggesting that RalGEFs induce PrE differentiation in a manner depending on basal MEK or Erk activity. Based on these results we conclude that Ras induces PrE differentiation of F9 EC cells via an interplay of Erk-and RalGEF-mediated pathways.

Amino Acid Substitution↗

Deletion mapping of 6q21-26 and frequency of 1p36 deletion in childhood endodermal sinus tumors by microsatellite analysis.

The most common malignant germ cell tumor of early childhood is the endodermal sinus tumor (CEST), also known as yolk sac tumor. Previous cytogenetic studies of CEST have demonstrated recurrent deletion of distal regions of chromosomes 1p and 6q. Studies utilizing comparative genomic hybridization have likewise demonstrated loss of distal 6q, however these studies show discrepant data concerning chromosome 1 abnormalities. This study analyses 18 CESTs for loss of heterozygosity (LOH) of distal chromosome 6q utilizing 17 microsatellite markers and 13 tumors were analysed for LOH of distal 1p using two microsatellite markers. LOH of 6q was found in 13/18 tumors (72 %). This data confirms that loss of genetic material on 6q is one of the most common abnormalities in CESTs and narrows the region of loss, enabling candidate tumor suppressor genes to be identified and analysed. In addition, LOH of 1p36 was identified in five of 11 informative tumors, clarifying prior conflicting data and confirming that 1p deletion is a common event in CESTs.

Child, Preschool↗

Post-translational assembly and glycosylation of laminin subunits in parietal endoderm-like F9 cells.

Non-reducing and reducing sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis of laminin synthesized in parietal endoderm-like F9 cells demonstrated that only AB1B2 complex goes through intracellular traffic for oligosaccharide side-chain processing and secretion. Glycosylation was not necessary for subunit assembly. Assembly was suggested to proceed through B1B2 to AB1B2. Among the pools of monomer subunits, the B2 pool was smallest.

Cell Line↗

Ovarian endodermal sinus tumor in a 76-year-old woman.

A 76-year-old woman underwent surgery for pelvic mass, during which a 13 x 8-cm right ovarian tumor was discovered. On histopathological examination, she was diagnosed with an endodermal sinus tumor with right tubal metastasis. The patient was treated with four cycles of Bleomycin, Etoposide and Cisplatin. She died of disseminated disease four years later.

Age Factors↗

Ontogeny of the male urethra: theory of endodermal differentiation.

The most widely accepted mechanism of male urethral development proposes that the urethral plate is elevated by urethral folds which fuse ventrally in a proximal-to-distal sequence. Unlike its proximal counterpart, the urethra which forms within the glans is lined by a stratified squamous epithelium and has a more controversial development. One theory supports the idea that fusion of the urethral folds extends all the way to the tip of the glans. Another theory suggests that a solid ectodermal in-growth of epidermis canalizes the glandar urethra. We hypothesized that the use of immunohistochemical staining and tissue recombinant grafting would delineate the epithelia involved and lend clues to their origin. Thirty-six human fetal phallic specimens of gestational ages 5-22 weeks were sectioned and stained immunohistochemically with antibodies raised against different cytokeratins. Evaluation of the sections showed that the urethral plate, an extension of the urogenital sinus, extended to the tip of the phallus and maintained patency and continuity throughout the process of urethral development. The entire urethra, including the glans portion, was formed by dorsal extension and disintegration of the urethral plate combined with ventral growth and fusion of the urethral folds. Sections of the distal glandar urethra showed no evidence of a solid ectodermal ingrowth. Rather, immunostaining results at different ages suggested differentiation of the endodermal urethral plate into a stratified squamous epithelium. To determine whether urothelium could be induced to express a stratified squamous phenotype, mouse fetal bladder epithelium was combined with rat fetal genital tubercle mesenchyme and grown under the renal capsule of athymic mice. The bladder epithelium differentiated into a stratified squamous epithelium. Thus, proper mesenchymal signaling may induce differentiation of urothelium into a stratified squamous phenotype, such as during development of the urethra of the glans penis.

Animals↗

Timing of the potential of micromere-descendants in echinoid embryos to induce endoderm differentiation of mesomere-descendants.

It has been reported that the micromeres of echinoid embryos have the potential to induce an archenteron in animal cap mesomeres recombined at the 16- or 32-cell stage. In the present study, experiments were performed to determine the exact period when the micromeres transmit their inductive signal to respecify the cell fate of mesomeres as endo-mesoderm. An animal cap was recombined with a quartet of micromeres, or micromere-descendants cultured in isolation, to form a recombinant embryo. The micromere-descendants were completely removed at various developmental stages, resulting in an embryo composed only of mesomere-descendants that had been under the inductive influence of micromeres for a limited period. The resulting embryos were cultured and examined for their potential to differentiate endoderm. The results indicated that the signal effective for inducing an archenteron in mesomere-descendants emanated from the micromere-descendants at the early blastula stage around hatching onward. Before this stage, the micromeres and micromere-descendants showed this potential slightly or not at all. The inductive signal emanated from the micromere-descendants almost on time even when the cells were cultured in isolation. The micromere-descendants completed transmission of the signal for inducing the archenteron in the animal cap within 2 h of recombination. The animal cap at between the 28-cell stage and 2 h after the 32-cell stage could react with the inductive signal from the micromere-descendants. Embryos composed of only animal cap mesomeres that had received the inductive signal from micromere-descendants for a limited period had the potential to develop into 8-armed plutei. Each pluteus formed an adult rudiment essentially on the left side of the larval body, and metamorphosed into a juvenile with pentaradiate symmetry.

Animals↗

Beta-cell ion channels: keys to endodermal excitability.

Whereas pancreatic islet cells are not neurons, they are endodermally-derived specialized excitable cells that display many properties of neurons. Multiple ion channels in the pancreatic beta-cell regulate electrical excitability. Our focus for the last several years has been on the delayed rectifier (Kv) K+ channels, in an effort to define the individual roles of specific Kv channel genes in the overall regulation of insulin secretion. The many Kv channel genes, represented by more than 40 mammalian isoforms (termed Kv1 to Kv8), give rise to overlapping functions, primarily regulating repolarization of the plasma membrane. Experiments involving inhibition of Kv channel function have shown the important role Kv channels play in regulating beta-cell calcium oscillations in response to glucose stimulation. From our recent studies, we have concluded that although detectable mRNA for Kv1 family members is present in islets, Kv1 family channels are unlikely to play a significant role in the beta-cell, and we are now focusing on the roles of Kv2 and Kv3 channels.

Delayed Rectifier Potassium Channels↗

Endodermal sinus (yolk sac) tumor of the urachus.

A rare case of endodermal sinus (yolk sac) tumor of urachal remnants in a two-year-old infant is described. The tumor was located in the upper part of the bladder and appeared to arise from urachal remnants. The tumor could be entirely removed. The patient is free of tumor after three years and eight months follow-up.

Chemotherapy, Adjuvant↗

Expression pattern of Drosophila ret suggests a common ancestral origin between the metamorphosis precursors in insect endoderm and the vertebrate enteric neurons.

The RET gene, encoding a receptor tyrosine kinase, is unusual among human protooncogenes in that its mutant alleles are implicated in a developmental defect involving enteric neurons as well as in tumorigenesis. The cells affected in both types of disorders are derived from the neural crest. Targeted disruption of mouse ret has revealed an additional role in kidney development. Here we report the analysis of a ret homolog in Drosophila melanogaster, an arthropod with no neural crest. Drosophila ret (D-ret) encodes a protein of 1,235 amino acids that has all of the domains identified in the vertebrate ret, including a cadherin motif. During embryogenesis, D-ret mRNA is first detected in the yolk sac at the late gastrula stage. In the postgastrula, D-ret is expressed in the foregut neurons, excretory system, peripheral ganglia, and the central nervous system. Thus, despite the wide divergence of early embryonic fate maps between vertebrates and invertebrates, D-ret is expressed in cells that are presumed to be the functional equivalents of the ret-expressing cells in vertebrates. Unexpectedly, D-ret is also expressed in the imaginal islands of the endodermal gut. These cells are proliferation-competent precursors for adult midgut that are diffusely embedded in the growth-arrested juvenile gut. These ret-expressing nonneuronal cells are strikingly analogous to vertebrate enteric neurons in their topography, but not in their cell fate. Our finding suggests a previously unrecognized phylogenetic relationship between the ret-expressing cells in vertebrates and the precursor reserves of metamorphosing insects.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Defects in cell adhesion and the visceral endoderm following ablation of nonmuscle myosin heavy chain II-A in mice.

Previous work has shown that ablation or mutation of nonmuscle myosin heavy chain II-B (NMHC II-B) in mice results in defects in the heart and brain with death occurring between embryonic day 14.5 (E14.5) and birth (Tullio, A. N., Accili, D., Ferrans, V. J., Yu, Z. X., Takeda, K., Grinberg, A., Westphal, H., Preston, Y. A., and Adelstein, R. S. (1997) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 94, 12407-12412). Here we show that mice ablated for NMHC II-A fail to develop a normal patterned embryo with a polarized visceral endoderm by E6.5 and die by E7.5. Moreover, A(-)/A(-) embryoid bodies grown in suspension culture constantly shed cells. These defects in cell adhesion and tissue organization are explained by loss of E-cadherin and beta-catenin localization to cell adhesion sites in both cell culture and in the intact embryos. The defects can be reproduced by introducing siRNA directed against NMHC II-A into wild-type embryonic stem cells. Our results suggest an essential role for a single, specific nonmuscle myosin isoform in maintaining cell-cell adhesions in the early mammalian embryo.

Animals↗

Sphingosine-1-phosphate lyase is involved in the differentiation of F9 embryonal carcinoma cells to primitive endoderm.

Sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) is a bioactive lipid molecule that acts both extracellularly and intracellularly. The SPL gene encodes a mammalian S1P lyase that degrades S1P. Here, we have disrupted the SPL gene in mouse F9 embryonal carcinoma cells by gene targeting. This is the first report of gene disruption of mammalian S1P lyase. The SPL-null cells exhibited no S1P lyase activity, and intracellular S1P was increased approximately 2-fold, compared with wild-type cells. Treatment of F9 embryonal carcinoma cells with retinoic acid induces differentiation to primitive endoderm (PrE). An acceleration in this PrE differentiation was observed in the SPL-null cells. This effect was apparently caused by the accumulated S1P, since N,N-dimethylsphingosine, a S1P synthesis inhibitor, had an inhibitory effect on the PrE differentiation. Moreover, F9 cells stably expressing sphingosine kinase also exhibited an acceleration in the differentiation. Exogenous S1P had no effect on differentiation, indicating that intracellular but not extracellular S1P is involved. Moreover, we determined that expression of the SPL protein is up-regulated during the progression to PrE. We also showed that sphingosine kinase activity is increased in PrE-differentiated cells. These results suggest that intracellular S1P has a role in the PrE differentiation and that SPL may be involved in the regulation of intracellular S1P levels during this differentiation.

Aldehyde-Lyases↗

Pre-B cell leukemia transcription factor (PBX) proteins are important mediators for retinoic acid-dependent endodermal and neuronal differentiation of mouse embryonal carcinoma P19 cells.

Pre-B cell leukemia transcription factors (PBXs) act as cofactors in the transcriptional regulation mediated by Homeobox proteins during embryonic development and cellular differentition. PBX1 protein is expressed throughout murine embryonic development, and its deletion in mice disrupts chondrogenesis. PBX protein levels are also increased in mouse embryonal carcinoma P19 cells during retinoic acid (RA)-induced differentiation. To elucidate the role of PBX proteins in this process, we stably overexpressed PBX1b antisense mRNA in P19 cells (PBX1b-AS cells). PBX1b-AS cells did not differentiate to neuronal or endodermal cells following treatment with RA suggesting PBX proteins are required for both processes. Furthermore we demonstrated that PBX proteins regulate the RA-dependent induction in the mRNA levels of bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) and Decorin (DCN) in P19 cells using both PBX1b-AS cells and PBX1 small interfering RNA. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays further demonstrated that PBX proteins directly bind to the promoter of Bmp4 and Dcn in vivo in a RA-dependent fashion. In addition, type I and type II BMP receptor mRNA levels were also increased in P19 cells following RA treatment; however, this was PBX-independent. Taken together these data demonstrate that PBX proteins are required for RA-induced differentiation of P19 cells and that PBX proteins regulate the expression of BMP4 and DCN during this differentiation process.

Animals↗

Successful treatment of an endodermal sinus tumor of the vagina by chemotherapy alone: a rare case of an infant diagnosed by pathological examination of discharged tumor fragment.

A 7-month-old infant was noted to have vaginal bleeding that was accompanied by a discharged tumor fragment. The histological diagnosis was endodermal sinus tumor. Her serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) was increased to 358.7 ng/mL, and magnetic resonance imaging showed a 1.8 x 1.0 cm tumor in the vagina. She received combination chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide, pirarubicin, carboplatin, and etoposide. The tumor in the images disappeared and the serum level of AFP returned to the normal range after 2 cycles. Treatment was complete without surgical or radiological therapy. More than 45 months after the completion of chemotherapy, she is alive without signs of recurrence.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗

A gene expressed in the endoderm of the sea urchin embryo.

Using a previously cloned, developmentally regulated mRNA sequence expressed predominantly in the endoderm of sea urchin pluteus larvae, we isolated genomic clones and additional cDNA clones to define the gene and the protein it encodes. Nucleic acid sequencing revealed that the gene consists of four exons interrupted by three introns and spans approximately 3600 bp. It encodes a low-molecular-weight protein with polar ends. A stretch of Glu and Asp residues at its carboxyl terminus suggests that it is a nucleic acid-binding protein and a stretch of four Lys residues near the amino terminus suggests a nuclear localization signal.

Animals↗