The Zinc Finger Protein Znf281 Is Essential for the Formation of Neural Tissue in Xenopus Embryos

Zinc finger protein 281 (Znf281) plays important roles in human malignancies, stem cell pluripotency, and placental and embryonic development. However, the function of Znf281 during early neural development remains unclear. Here, we investigated the role of Znf281 in the formation of neural tissue in Xenopus embryos. znf281 transcripts are expressed in the animal hemisphere of the embryo at the blastula and gastrula stages and gradually localize in neural tissue after gastrulation. Overexpression of Znf281 induces neural tissue with anterior-posterior patterning and inhibits epidermal differentiation in ectodermal explants and embryos. Mechanistically, Znf281 reduces the levels of phosphorylated Smad1/5/8 proteins, the downstream effectors of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling, to promote neural development. Moreover, knockdown of Znf281 in embryos results in the reduced expression of neural markers, indicating that Znf281 is required for early neural development. These results suggest that Znf281 plays an important role in the establishment of the central nervous system by modulating BMP signaling during vertebrate embryogenesis.