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The vegetalizing factor from chicken embryos: its EDF (activin A)-like activity
M Asashima1, H Uchiyama, H Nakano
1Department of Biology, Yokohama City University, Japan.
Mechanisms of Development
|June 1, 1991
Summary
Chicken embryo extracts and recombinant erythroid differentiation factor (EDF), also known as activin A, both promote hemoglobin synthesis in cancer cells. EDF
Area of Science:
- Developmental biology
- Molecular biology
- Cell biology
Background:
- The erythroid differentiation factor (EDF), a conserved member of the TGF-beta superfamily (also known as activin A), plays a crucial role in cellular differentiation.
- Understanding the specific inductive capacities of EDF and related factors is essential for comprehending developmental processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the mesoderm- and endoderm-inducing activities of purified vegetalizing factor from chicken embryos with recombinant erythroid differentiation factor (EDF/activin A).
- To investigate the role of EDF in inducing various mesodermal organs and its interaction with inhibitory proteins like follistatin.
Main Methods:
- High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) purification of vegetalizing factor from chicken embryos.
- In vitro assays using erythroleukemia cells to assess hemoglobin synthesis stimulation.
- Ectodermal induction assays in Triturus taeniatus embryos to evaluate organogenesis.
- Inhibition assays using follistatin to study EDF-binding interactions.
Main Results:
- Both HPLC-purified factor and recombinant EDF/activin A stimulate hemoglobin synthesis in erythroleukemia cells within a similar concentration range.
- The EDF-activity present in mesoderm-inducing HPLC fractions is effectively inhibited by follistatin.
- EDF induces a broad spectrum of mesodermal organs in Triturus taeniatus ectoderm, likely through secondary interactions.
- At higher concentrations (15 ng/ml), EDF induces notochord- and endoderm-like tissues with high frequency.
Conclusions:
- Purified vegetalizing factor from chicken embryos shares functional similarities with recombinant erythroid differentiation factor (EDF/activin A) in inducing erythroid differentiation.
- EDF is a potent inducer of diverse mesodermal tissues, highlighting its significant role in embryonic development.
- Follistatin acts as an inhibitor of EDF's activity, suggesting a regulatory mechanism in developmental signaling pathways.