RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 A novel role for <em>Ets4</em> in axis specification and cell migration in the spider <em>Parasteatoda tepidariorum</em>
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 129411
DO 10.1101/129411
A1 Matthias Pechmann
A1 Matthew A. Benton
A1 Nathan J. Kenny
A1 Nico Posnien
A1 Siegfried Roth
YR 2017
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/04/21/129411.abstract
AB Organizers play important roles during the embryonic development of many animals. The most famous example is the Spemann organizer that sets up embryonic axes in amphibian embryos.In spiders, a group of BMP secreting mesenchymal cells (the cumulus) functions as an organizer of the dorsoventral axis. Similar to experiments performed with the Spemann organizer, transplantation of the cumulus is able to induce a secondary axis in spiders.Despite the importance of this structure, it is unknown which factors are needed to activate cumulus specific gene expression.To address this question, we performed a transcriptomic analysis of early embryonic development in the spider Parasteatoda tepidariorum. Through this work, we found that the transcription factor Pt-Ets4 is needed for cumulus integrity, dorsoventral patterning and for the activation of Pt-hunchback and Pt-twist expression. Furthermore, ectopic expression of Pt-Ets4 is sufficient to induce cell delamination and migration by inducing a mesoderm-like cell fate.