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XB-ART-24651
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1991 Aug 01;8815:6511-4.
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Presence of activin (erythroid differentiation factor) in unfertilized eggs and blastulae of Xenopus laevis.

Asashima M , Nakano H , Uchiyama H , Sugino H , Nakamura T , Eto Y , Ejima D , Nishimatsu S , Ueno N , Kinoshita K .


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Activin A, a member of the transforming growth factor beta superfamily, has recently been found to have potent mesoderm-inducing activity on isolated early Xenopus animal-cap cells. We measured the activin activity of the Xenopus egg extract by using an erythroid-differentiating test with Friend leukemia cells. The results showed that an activin homologue is, indeed, contained in unfertilized eggs and blastulae of Xenopus laevis in a considerable amount. This activity was eluted at the same retention time as human activin A when fractionated by reversed-phase HPLC. Furthermore, the fraction containing erythroid-differentiating factor activity had mesoderm-inducing activity on Xenopus animal-cap cells. The mesoderm-inducing activity of this fraction was suppressed when coincubated with follistatin, an activin-binding protein. These results suggest that an endogenous activin may be a natural mesoderm-inducing factor acting in Xenopus embryogenesis.

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Species referenced: Xenopus laevis
Genes referenced: fst inhba

References [+] :
Asashima, The vegetalizing factor belongs to a family of mesoderm-inducing proteins related to erythroid differentiation factor. 1990, Pubmed, Xenbase