A protein, encoded by the NOG gene, secreted from the organiser tissue (i.e., the dorsal mesoderm) that blocks the transformation of ectoderm into epidermis and, by that, inducing the formation of neural tissue of the early nervous system. It is involved in the development of many body tissues, including bones, muscles and neural tissues (e.g., fusion of the neural tube), as well in the formation of morphological gradients. Its role in bone development is especially important in the formation of joints. Moreover, mutations in the NOG gene result in skeletal disorders. Noggin does function on its own, but in conjunction with Bone Morphogenetic Proteins. The noggin protein regulates the activity of particular BMPs through attaching to them and blocking them from binding to their corresponding receptor, thereby diminishing BMP signalling. Noggin was discovered in 1992 by Richard M. Harland and William C. Smith, first in the frog embryo and then the mammalian (including human) embryo.
See Blastopore, Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP), Chordin, Ectoderm, Induction (embryology), Maturational gradients, Mesoderm, Mutation (biology), Neural tube, Noggin, Organizer (embryology), Proteins