Research DV axis formation in amphibians and answer the following questions:
What causes neural induction?
Neural induction refers to the process by which cells in early embryonic development are instructed to differentiate and form neural tissue. In amphibians, neural induction is primarily initiated by a molecule called bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) antagonist, which inhibits the action of BMP signaling.
BMPs are a family of growth factors that are expressed in the ventral region of the embryo. They play a role in promoting the differentiation of non-neural ectoderm into epidermal tissue. However, to induce neural tissue formation, BMP signaling needs to be inhibited.
In amphibians, specific factors secreted by the dorsal lip of the blastopore, a region of cells in the early embryo, act as BMP antagonists. The most well-known BMP antagonist involved in neural induction is called Noggin. Noggin binds to BMPs and prevents them from activating their receptors on nearby cells. This inhibition of BMP signaling leads to the formation of neural tissue.
Other BMP antagonists, such as Chordin, Follistatin, and Cerberus, also play important roles in neural induction in amphibians. They work in concert to antagonize BMP signaling and promote the differentiation of cells into neural tissue.
Overall, neural induction in amphibians is primarily caused by the action of BMP antagonists, which inhibit BMP signaling and allow the formation of neural tissue from the non-neural ectoderm.