Common mechanisms for
boundary formation in somitogenesis and brain development: shaping the
'chic' chick
Takahashi Y
Int J Dev Biol 49(2-3):221-30 (2005)
SUMMARY
When organs and tissues acquire their characteristic shapes and functions
during early development, boundaries are established that distinguish
between and delimit distinct areas. Such boundaries are not mere edges,
but also play important roles as secondary signaling centers in subsequent
morphogenesis. Following on pioneering findings provided by studies in
Drosophila, the mechanisms underlying boundary formation in vertebrate
embryogenesis have attracted the interest of an increasing number of researchers.
Somitogenesis and brain development, in particular, serve as model systems
for the study of the molecular and cellular events occurring at developing
boundaries. Recent findings allow us to draw some general pictures concerning
the shared mechanisms that participate in these processes of organogenesis,
in which Notch, Eph/ephrin and cadherin-mediated signaling are among the
main key regulators.
LINK
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Citation&list_uids=15906235