The intermediate mesoderm (IM) is the embryonic source of all kidney tissue in vertebrates. The factors that regulate the formation of the IM are not yet well understood. Through investigations in the chick embryo, the current study identifies and characterizes Vg1/Nodal signaling (henceforth referred to as 'Nodal-like signaling') as a novel regulator of IM formation. Excess Nodal-like signalin...

Introduction: Electrophysiological studies have demonstrated a relationship between aging and atrioventricular (AV) nodal conduction and refractoriness. The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of nodal aging on dynamic AV nodal field potential recording during atrial fibrillation (AF) in rabbit. Methods: Two groups of male New Zealand rabbits (neonatal 2-week-olds and adult...

hereditary ataxias are heterogeneous group of neurodegenerative disorders classified mainly into more than 40 autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxias and 50 recessive ataxias. large amount of nearly uncommon subtypes with extensive phenotypic overlap and relatively high rate of abnormal repetitive sequence expansions, such as trinucleotide repeat expansions make diagnostic genetic testing complic...

Metastatic melanoma is an aggressive skin cancer associated with poor prognosis. The reactivation of the embryonic morphogen Nodal in metastatic melanoma has previously been shown to regulate the aggressive behavior of these tumor cells. During the establishment of left-right asymmetry in early vertebrate development, Nodal expression is specifically regulated by a Notch signaling pathway. We h...

OBJECTIVES We investigated the relationships of cystic nodal metastasis, human papillomavirus (HPV) status, and treatment failure patterns in patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) treated with chemoradiotherapy. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed pretreatment MRI and clinical courses of patients with OPSCC whose tumors were tested for HPV-induced p16 expression via immu...

Introduction: Intranodal pathways of atrioventricular (AV) node play a vital role in the delay of conduction time in response to various atrial inputs. The present study was aimed to determine the frequency-dependent electrophysiological properties of concealed slow pathway according to a functional model of isolated rabbit atrioventricular node preparation after fast pathway ablation. Meth...

The correct distribution and activity of secreted signaling proteins called morphogens is required for many developmental processes. Nodal morphogens play critical roles in embryonic axis formation in many organisms. Models proposed to generate the Nodal gradient include diffusivity, ligand processing, and a temporal activation window. But how the Nodal morphogen gradient forms in vivo remains ...

Secreted TGFbeta proteins of the Nodal family pattern the vertebrate body axes and induce mesoderm and endoderm . Nodal proteins can act as morphogens , but the mechanisms regulating their activity and signaling range are poorly understood. In particular, it has been unclear how inefficient processing or rapid turnover of the Nodal protein influences autocrine and paracrine signaling properties...

Growth factor signaling is essential for pattern formation, growth, differentiation, and maintenance of stem cell pluripotency. Nodal-related signaling factors are required for axis formation and germ layer specification from sea urchins to mammals. Maternal transcripts of the zebrafish Nodal factor, Squint (Sqt), are localized to future embryonic dorsal. The mechanisms by which maternal sqt/no...