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Signalling through RXRβ and its agonist, bexarotene, promotes neuron formation in Xenopus laevis embryos.

Overview

Authors: Daniela Lopes Cardoso1, Marilena Loizou1, Danai D Fourla1, Charles Woodman1, Matthew J Guille2, Colin Sharpe1
ORCID iDs: Daniela Lopes Cardoso, Marilena Loizou, Danai D Fourla, Charles Woodman, Matthew J Guille, Colin Sharpe
  1. School of Environment and Life Sciences, Institute of Life Sciences and Healthcare, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth PO1 2DT, UK
  2. European Xenopus Resource Centre, School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth PO1 2DT, UK
Institutions: University of Portsmouth (United Kingdom)
Journal: Biology open, volume 15, issue 7, article bio062675
Dates: received 1 May 2026; accepted 15 June 2026; published online 16 July 2026; in print July 2026
Type: Research article · Language: English
License: CC BY
Identifiers: DOI 10.1242/bio.062675 · PMID 42340257 · PMCID PMC13446568 · OpenAlex W7165799528
Open access: gold, a free copy (OpenAlex)
Status: data only
Categories: other (organism), developmental (subfield)
Methods: Statistics, Preprocessing
Keywords: Xenopus, Retinoid, Bexarotene, Neurogenesis, Embryonic primary neuron
MeSH: Bexarotene*, Neurogenesis*, Neurons*, Retinoid X Receptors*, Signal Transduction*, Xenopus laevis*, Animals, Cell Differentiation, Embryo, Nonmammalian, Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental, Tetrahydronaphthalenes (* major topic)
Topic: Retinoids in leukemia and cellular processes (Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology), according to OpenAlex
Funding: Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBX018601/1); University of Portsmouth
Citations: not cited yet (Europe PMC); 106 references in the paper

Abstract

Retinoic acid, acting through RAR/RXR nuclear receptors, is required for neuronal differentiation in Xenopus laevis. Bexarotene, characterised as a pan-RXR agonist, reduces the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease in mouse models by clearing amyloid plaque and by promoting neurogenesis. In this paper, we show that RXR-initiated bexarotene signalling generates additional neurons both during normal X. laevis development and in ectodermal explants in which bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signalling is inhibited. Differential gene expression analysis between ectodermal explants taken from uninjected embryos and from embryos co-injected with mRNA that expresses Noggin, a BMP antagonist, and RXRβ identifies genes mediating the transition from an epidermal to a neural fate. The explants express genes associated with an anterior neural fate, but not a neuronal fate. The addition of bexarotene to equivalent co-injected explants activates genes that promote neuronal differentiation and posterior character, including genes of the canonical Wnt signalling pathway. Xenopus ectodermal explants therefore provide a simple and efficient tool to identify novel retinoid agonists that promote neuronal differentiation. The genes expressed in response to bexarotene are consistent with a pathway to neuronal differentiation allied to standard retinoid signalling.

Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.

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Data

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Version 1, 27 September 2026: the first record

Recorded: type, language, journal, volume, issue, pages, dates, 6 authors, 5 keywords, 11 MeSH terms, 2 funders, 106 references.

Cite

This paper

Lopes Cardoso, D., Loizou, M., Fourla, D. D., Woodman, C., Guille, M. J., & Sharpe, C. (2026). Signalling through RXRβ and its agonist, bexarotene, promotes neuron formation in Xenopus laevis embryos. Biology open, 15(7), bio062675. https://doi.org/10.1242/bio.062675

BibTeX

@article{lopescardoso2026signalling,
author = {Lopes Cardoso, Daniela and Loizou, Marilena and Fourla, Danai D and Woodman, Charles and Guille, Matthew J and Sharpe, Colin},
title = {{Signalling through RXRβ and its agonist, bexarotene, promotes neuron formation in Xenopus laevis embryos}},
journal = {Biology open},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
volume = {15},
number = {7},
pages = {bio062675},
publisher = {Company of Biologists},
issn = {2046-6390},
doi = {10.1242/bio.062675},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1242/bio.062675},
pmid = {42340257},
pmcid = {PMC13446568}
}

RIS

TY - JOUR
AU - Lopes Cardoso, Daniela
AU - Loizou, Marilena
AU - Fourla, Danai D
AU - Woodman, Charles
AU - Guille, Matthew J
AU - Sharpe, Colin
TI - Signalling through RXRβ and its agonist, bexarotene, promotes neuron formation in Xenopus laevis embryos
T2 - Biology open
J2 - Biol Open
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/16
VL - 15
IS - 7
SP - bio062675
SN - 2046-6390
PB - Company of Biologists
DO - 10.1242/bio.062675
UR - https://doi.org/10.1242/bio.062675
LA - en
ER -

CSL-JSON

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