BACKGROUND: Mov10 is an RNA helicase that modulates access of Argonaute 2 to 
microRNA recognition elements in mRNAs. We examined the role of Mov10 in Xenopus 
laevis development and show a critical role for Mov10 in gastrulation and in the 
development of the central nervous system (CNS).
RESULTS: Knockdown of maternal Mov10 in Xenopus embryos using a translation 
blocking morpholino led to defects in gastrulation and the development of 
notochord and paraxial mesoderm, and a failure to neurulate. RNA sequencing of 
the Mov10 knockdown embryos showed significant upregulation of many mRNAs when 
compared with controls at stage 10.5 (including those related to the 
cytoskeleton, adhesion, and extracellular matrix, which are involved in those 
morphogenetic processes). Additionally, the degradation of the miR-427 target 
mRNA, cyclin A1, was delayed in the Mov10 knockdowns. These defects suggest that 
Mov10's role in miRNA-mediated regulation of the maternal to zygotic transition 
could lead to pleiotropic effects that cause the gastrulation defects. 
Additionally, the knockdown of zygotic Mov10 showed that it was necessary for 
normal head, eye, and brain development in Xenopus consistent with a recent 
study in the mouse.
CONCLUSIONS: Mov10 is essential for gastrulation and normal CNS development. 
Developmental Dynamics 247:660-671, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.