Expression of Hr-Erf Gene during Ascidian Embryogenesis

FGF9/16/20 signaling pathway specify the developmental fates of notochord, mesenchyme, and neural cells in ascidian embryos. Although a conserved Ras/MEK/Erk/Ets pathway is known to be involved in this signaling, the detailed mechanisms of regulation of FGF signaling pathway have remained largely elusive. In this study, we have isolated Hr-Erf, an ascidian orthologue of vertebrate Erf, to elucidate interactions of transcription factors involved in FGF signaling of the ascidian embryo. The Hr-Erf cDNA encompassed 3110 nucleotides including sequence encoded a predicted polypeptide of 760 amino acids. The polypeptide had the Ets DNA-binding domain in its N-terminal region. In adult animals, Hr-Erf mRNA was predominantly detected in muscle, and at lower levels in ganglion, gills, gonad, hepatopancreas, and stomach by quantitative real-time PCR (QPCR) method. During embryogenesis, Hr-Erf mRNA was detected from eggs to early developmental stage embryos, whereas the transcript levels were decreased after neurula stage. Similar to the QPCR results, maternal transcripts of Hr-Erf was detected in the fertilized eggs by whole-mount in situ hybridization. Maternal mRNA of Hr-Erf was gradually lost from the neurula stage. Zygotic expression of Hr-Erf started in most blastomeres at the 8-cell stage. At gastrula stage, Hr-Erf was specifically expressed in the precursor cells of brain and mesenchyme. When MEK inhibitor was treated, embryos resulted in loss of Hr-Erf expression in mesenchyme cells, and in excess of Hr-Erf in a-line neural cells. These results suggest that zygotic Hr-Erf products are involved in specification of mesenchyme and neural cells.