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. 1991 Aug 1;88(15):6511–6514. doi: 10.1073/pnas.88.15.6511

Presence of activin (erythroid differentiation factor) in unfertilized eggs and blastulae of Xenopus laevis.

M Asashima 1, H Nakano 1, H Uchiyama 1, H Sugino 1, T Nakamura 1, Y Eto 1, D Ejima 1, S Nishimatsu 1, N Ueno 1, K Kinoshita 1
PMCID: PMC52115  PMID: 1862079

Abstract

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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Selected References

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