Although recent findings in frog and fish embryos have suggested that EGF-CFC proteins function as coreceptors for Nodal, studies in cell culture have implicated Cripto as a growth factor-like signaling molecule.     ///     The EGF-CFC gene Cripto encodes an extracellular protein that has been implicated in the signaling pathway for the transforming growth factor beta (TGF beta) ligand Nodal.     ///    "Furthermore, we found that the ability of Cripto to bind to Nodal and mediate Nodal signaling requires the addition of an O-linked fucose monosaccharide to a conserved site within EGF-CFC proteins. "    ///    Here we reconcile these apparently disparate models of Cripto function by using a mammalian cell culture assay to investigate the signaling activities of Nodal and EGF-CFC proteins. 