Abstract
The temporal and spatial regulation of somitogenesis requires a molecular oscillator, the segmentation clock. Through Notch signalling, the oscillation in cells is coordinated and translated into a cyclic wave of expression of hairy-related and other genes. The wave sweeps caudorostrally through the presomitic mesoderm (PSM) and finally arrests at the future segmentation point in the anterior PSM. By experimental manipulation and analyses in zebrafish somitogenesis mutants, we have found a novel component involved in this process. We report that the level of Fgf/MAPK activation (highest in the posterior PSM) serves as a positional cue within the PSM that regulates progression of the cyclic wave and thereby governs the positions of somite boundary formation.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 4873-4880 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Development |
| Volume | 128 |
| Issue number | 23 |
| Publication status | Published - 2001 Dec 27 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- After eight
- Fgf
- Fused somites
- Her1
- Segmentation
- Somite
- Tailbud
- Zebrafish
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Molecular Biology
- Developmental Biology