The Effect of Myosin Inhibitors on the Expression of Mechano-Dependent Genes in the Early Development of the Clawed Frog

Abstract

Mechanical forces arising in developing embryos are able to spread over considerable distances in embryos and affect gene expression. The study of mechano-dependent transcription is one of the topical issues of modern developmental biology. One of the approaches to solving this problem is the use of low-molecular-weight myosin inhibitors. In this paper, we studied by RT-PCR the effect of four myosin inhibitors—blebbistatin, S-nitroblebbistatin, ML-9 and 2,3-butanedione monoxime—on the expression of eight mechano-dependent genes in early embryos of the clawed frog. When exposed to myosin inhibitors, we observed a change in the expression level of four mechano-dependent genes, namely gsc, myh6, Xbra, and xmc. These results indicate that mechanical forces can play a role in the anterio-posterior patterning of the embryo by regulating the expression of the corresponding genes.