Xenopus Tbx6 mediates posterior patterning via activation of Wnt and FGF signalling

In vertebrates, the patterning of antenior-postenior (AP) axis is a fundamental process during embryogenesis. Wnt and FGF signalling pathways play important roles in regulating the patterning of embryo AP axis. Mouse Thx6 encodes a transcription factor that has been demonstrated to be involved in the specification of the posterior tissue in mouse embryonic body. Here, we prove that morpholino-induced knockdown of XTbx6 impairs posterior development, indicating the requirement of XTbx6 in this process. Meanwhile, gain of XTbx6 function is sufficient to induce ectopic posterior structures in Xenopus embryos. Furthermore, XTbx6 activates the expression of Xwnt8 and FGF8, which are two mediators of posterior development, suggesting a mechanism by which XTbx6 modulates posterior patterning via Wnt and FGF signalling pathway activation.