Figure 4.

Sox17 mediates the Activin/Nodal pathway for cardiac myogenesis. (A): Induction of Sox17, Hhex, Cer1, and cardiac genes in Activin-treated embryonic stem cells (ESCs). (B): The Nodal receptor Cripto is essential for induction of the endoderm-associated Sox17-Hhex-Cer1 pathway. (C): Sox17 shRNA recapitulates the Cripto-deficient phenotype in Activin-treated ESCs. Cells were grown in monolayer culture for panels (A) and (C), and as embryoid bodies for panel (B). *, p < .05 versus control cells; n ≥ 3.