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Hox9 genes and vertebrate limb specification

Hox9 genes and vertebrate limb specification Development of paired appendages at appropriate levels along the primary body axis is a hallmark of the body plan of jawed vertebrates. Hox genes are good candidates for encoding position in lateral plate mesoderm along the body axis 1,2 and thus for determining where limbs are formed. Local application of fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) to the anterior prospective flank of a chick embryo induces development of an ectopic wing, and FGF applied to posterior flank induces an ectopic leg3. If particular combinations of Hox gene expression determine where wings and legs develop, then formation of additional limbs from flank should involve changes in Hox gene expression that reflect the type of limb induced. Here we show that the same population of flank cells can be induced to form either a wing or a leg, and that induction of these ectopic limbs is accompanied by specific changes in expression of three Hox genes in lateral plate mesoderm. This then reproduces, in the flank, expression patterns found at normal limb levels. Hox gene expression is reprogrammed in lateral plate mesoderm, but is unaffected in paraxial mesoderm. Independent regulation of Hox gene expression in lateral plate mesoderm may have been a key step in the evolution of paired appendages. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Nature Springer Journals

Hox9 genes and vertebrate limb specification

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References (21)

Publisher
Springer Journals
Copyright
Copyright © 1997 by Macmillan Magazines Ltd
Subject
Science, Humanities and Social Sciences, multidisciplinary; Science, Humanities and Social Sciences, multidisciplinary; Science, multidisciplinary
ISSN
0028-0836
eISSN
1476-4687
DOI
10.1038/387097a0
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Development of paired appendages at appropriate levels along the primary body axis is a hallmark of the body plan of jawed vertebrates. Hox genes are good candidates for encoding position in lateral plate mesoderm along the body axis 1,2 and thus for determining where limbs are formed. Local application of fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) to the anterior prospective flank of a chick embryo induces development of an ectopic wing, and FGF applied to posterior flank induces an ectopic leg3. If particular combinations of Hox gene expression determine where wings and legs develop, then formation of additional limbs from flank should involve changes in Hox gene expression that reflect the type of limb induced. Here we show that the same population of flank cells can be induced to form either a wing or a leg, and that induction of these ectopic limbs is accompanied by specific changes in expression of three Hox genes in lateral plate mesoderm. This then reproduces, in the flank, expression patterns found at normal limb levels. Hox gene expression is reprogrammed in lateral plate mesoderm, but is unaffected in paraxial mesoderm. Independent regulation of Hox gene expression in lateral plate mesoderm may have been a key step in the evolution of paired appendages.

Journal

Nature – Springer Journals

Published: May 1, 1997

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