Expression of mutated Nck SH2/SH3 adaptor respecifies mesodermal cell fate in Xenopus laevis development

Nck is a widely expressed SH2/SH3 adaptor protein containing one SH2 and three SH3 domains. Although Nck is assumed to mediate the formation of protein-protein complexes during signaling, little is currently known about its specific function. We have constructed a series of Nck SH3 and SH2 domain mutants, expressed them in Xenopus laevis embryos, and monitored injected embryos for developmental abnormalities. This approach allows correlation of developmental phenotypes with the presence or absence of specific Nck protein-binding domains. We show that microinjection of RNA-encoding Nck with an inactivating mutation in the third SH3 domain (NckK229) into dorsal blastomeres of early embryos caused anterior truncation with high frequency, and membrane localization of both the first and second SH3 domains together was sufficient to induce this anterior-truncation phenotype. Molecular marker analysis of explants revealed that the expression of NckK229 ventralized dorsal mesoderm. Lineage tracing experiments demonstrated that the expression of Nck K229 in dorsal blastomeres affected the migratory properties of mesoderm cells in gastrulation and led to the adoption of a more posterior fate. These data suggest that protein(s) that bind the first and second SH3 domains of Nck can affect the response to signals that establish dorso-ventral patterning, and that protein(s) that bind the third SH3 domain antagonize the ventralizing effect of the first two SH3 domains.