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. 2016 Jun 1;143(11):1958–1970. doi: 10.1242/dev.134171

Fig. 1.

Fig. 1.

Active BMP signaling in thyrocyte progenitors during thyroid development. (A) BMP ligands, receptors and Smad intracellular mediators are expressed in the mouse thyroid during follicle formation from E14.5 to E18.5. Bmp2, Bmp4, Bmp5, Bmp7 are the most abundant mRNAs in the thyroid (n≥3). -RT, without reverse transcriptase. (B) Absolute quantification of Smad1/5/8 mRNAs at the initiation of follicle development (E14.5) reveals that Smad1 and Smad5 are the most abundant intracellular mediators of BMP signaling in the thyroid (n≥3). (C) Thyroid sections from the BRE-GFP reporter mouse line reveal the presence of GFP (green) at E14.5 in blood vessels (PECAM) and parathyroid (PT; delineated by the white dotted line) but not in immunolabeled thyroid epithelial cells (E-cadherin). From E.15.5 onwards, most epithelial cells (thyroglobulin, Tg) of the developing thyroid display GFP activity. (D) Detection of pSmad1/5 is increased on sections of E14.5 and E15.5 explants treated for 30 min with 20 ng/ml Bmp4, as compared with untreated samples. Perfusion time probably explains the peripheral to central gradient of pSmad1/5. Data are presented as mean±s.e.m. Scale bars: 50 µm.