Znf131 is required for gastrulation and neurulation in early Xenopus development

Early vertebrate development involves several highly orchestrated morphogenic movements. Two key movements are gastrulation, which organizes germ layer spatial arrangement, and neurulation, which results in the establishment of the neural tube. In this study, we demonstrate that the POZ-ZF transcription factor xZnf131 is required for proper morphogenetic movements during gastrulation and neurulation in Xenopus laevis. xZnf131 is expressed throughout early Xenopus development, with enriched localization in dorsal and anterior embryonic structures, including the neural plate. Morpholino oligonucleotide-mediated depletion of xZnf131 results in defects in axial mesoderm extension as well as neural tube formation. Together, these findings establish xZnf131 as a critical regulator required for the proper morphogenetic movements during early Xenopus development.