Abstract
Hensen's node of the chick embryo contains multipotent self-renewing progenitor cells that can contribute to either the floor plate or the notochord. Floor plate cells are a population of epithelial cells that lie at the ventral midline of the developing neural tube, whereas the notochord is a rod of axial mesoderm that lies directly beneath the floor plate. These two tissues serve as a source of a potent signalling morphogen, sonic hedgehog (Shh), which patterns the dorsoventral axis of the neural tube. We show, through both gain- and loss-of-function approaches, that Notch signalling promotes the contribution of chick axial progenitor cells to the floor plate and inhibits contribution to the notochord. Thus, we propose that Notch regulates the allocation of appropriate numbers of progenitor cells from Hensen's node of the chick embryo to the notochord and the floor plate.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 561-568 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Development |
Volume | 137 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 15 Feb 2010 |
Keywords
- Notch
- Shh
- Embryo
- Chick
- Notochord
- Floor plate
- Motor neurone induction
- Sonic hedgehog
- Spinal cord
- Vertebrate development
- Somite segmentation
- Polarizing activity
- Zebrafish gastrula
- Nervous system
- Avian embryo
- Specification