Cerberus 1: Products

Cerberus 1, also called DAND4, is a member of the DAN domain family of BMP antagonists that includes DAN (DAND1), Gremlin/Drm (DAND2), PRDC (Protein Related to Dan and Cerberus; DAND3), and COCO/Dante (DAND5). DAN family members contain a cysteine knot domain that is homologous to that found in other TGF-beta superfamily ligands. Cerberus 1 is a secreted glycoprotein that forms disulfide-linked homodimers. Cerberus-S, which is generated by proteolysis in Xenopus, is a short version of the molecule and includes the C-terminal cysteine knot domain.

At the onset of gastrulation, Cerberus 1 is transiently expressed in anterior endodermal structures in response to Nodal and Shh. Cerberus 1 binds BMP-4 and Nodal and inhibits their activities. Xenopus Cerberus has also been shown to bind Xenopus Wnt-8. These inhibitory functions of Cerberus favor mesodermal development in the anterior region of the gastrula and suppresses posterior mesodermal differentiation. In chick and Xenopus, Cerberus 1 also regulates, but is not required for embryonic left-right polarization, neurulation, and head and heart induction.