Abstract

Paraxial mesoderm is the tissue which gives rise to the skeletal muscles and vertebral column of the body. A gene regulatory network operating in the formation of paraxial mesoderm has been described. This network hinges on three key factors, Wnt3a, Msgn1 and Tbx6, each of which is critical for paraxial mesoderm formation, since absence of any one of these factors results in complete absence of posterior somites. In this study we determined and compared the spatial and temporal patterns of expression of Wnt3a, Msgn1 and Tbx6 at a time when paraxial mesoderm is being formed. Then, we performed a comparative characterization of mutants in Wnt3a, Msgn1 and Tbx6. To determine the epistatic relationship between these three genes, and begin to decipher the complex interplay between them, we analyzed double mutant embryos and compared their phenotypes to the single mutants. Through the analysis of molecular markers in mutants, our data support the bipotential nature of the progenitor cells for paraxial mesoderm and establish regulatory relationships between genes involved in the choice between neural and mesoderm fates.

Links

Publisher Full Text

Authors

Nowotschin S, Ferrer-Vaquer A, Concepcion D, Papaioannou VE, Hadjantonakis AK

Institution

Developmental Biology Program, Sloan-Kettering Institute, 1275 York Ave, New York, NY 10065, USA.

Source

Developmental biology 367:1 2012 Jul 1 pg 1-14

MeSH

Animals
Cell Differentiation
Embryo, Mammalian
Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition
Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
Mesoderm
Mice
Mutation
Somites

Pub Type(s)

Journal Article
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Language

eng

PubMed ID

22546692