xCITED2 Induces Neural Genes in Animal Cap Explants of Xenopus Embryos

Dach1 regulates neural crest migration during embryonic development

Dachshund 1(Dach1) is a key component of the retinal determination gene network that plays significant roles in cell fate regulation. The vertebrate homolog of Drosophila dachshund has gained considerable importance as an essential regulator of development, but its functions during embryonic development remain elusive. We investigated the functional significance of dach1 during Xenopus embryogenesis using loss-of-function studies. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction demonstrated the maternal nature of dach1, showing enhanced expression at the neurula stage of development, and morpholino oligonucleotide injection of dach1 induced phenotypic anomalies of microcephaly and reduced body length. Animal cap assays followed by whole-mount in-situ hybridization indicated the perturbed expression of neural and neural crest (NC) markers. Our data suggest the prerequisite functions of dach1 in NC migration during Xenopus embryogenesis. However, the developmental pathways regulated by dach1 during embryogenesis require further elucidation.

Lysine demethylase 3a in craniofacial and neural development during Xenopus embryogenesis

Epigenetic modifier lysine demethylase 3a (Kdm3a) specifically demethylates mono‑ and di‑methylated ninth lysine of histone 3 and belongs to the Jumonji domain‑containing group of demethylases. Kdm3a serves roles during various biological and pathophysiological processes, including spermatogenesis and metabolism, determination of sex, androgen receptor‑mediated transcription and embryonic carcinoma cell differentiation. In the present study, physiological functions of Kdm3a were evaluated during embryogenesis of Xenopus laevis. Spatiotemporal expression pattern indicated that kdm3a exhibited its expression from early embryonic stages until tadpole stage, however considerable increase of kdm3a expression was observed during the neurula stage of Xenopus development. Depleting kdm3a using kdm3a antisense morpholino oligonucleotides induced anomalies, including head deformities, small‑sized eyes and abnormal pigmentation. Whole‑mount in situ hybridization results demonstrated that kdm3a knockdown was associated with defects in neural crest migration. Further, quantitative polymerase chain reaction revealed abnormal expression of neural markers in kdm3a morphants. RNA sequencing of kdm3a morphants indicated that kdm3a was implicated in mesoderm formation, cell adhesion and metabolic processes of embryonic development. In conclusion, the results of the present study indicated that Kdm3a may serve a role in neural development during Xenopus embryogenesis and may be targeted for treatment of developmental disorders. Further investigation is required to elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying the regulation of neural development by Kdm3a.