TY - JOUR
T1 - Patterning of the embryo along the anterior-posterior axis
T2 - The role of the caudal genes
AU - Epstein, Michal
AU - Pillemer, Graciela
AU - Yelin, Ronit
AU - Yisraeli, Joel K.
AU - Fainsod, Abraham
PY - 1997
Y1 - 1997
N2 - Patterning along the anterior-posterior axis takes place during gastrulation and early neurulation. Homeobox genes like Otx-2 and members of the Hox family have been implicated in this process. The caudal genes in Drosophila and C. elegans have been shown to determine posterior fates. In vertebrates, the caudal genes begin their expression during gastrulation and they take up a posterior position. By injecting sense and antisense RNA of the Xenopus caudal gene Xcad-2, we have studied a number of regulatory interactions among homeobox genes along the anterior-posterior axis. Initially, the Xcad-2 and Otx-2 genes are mutually repressed and, by late gastrulation, they mark the posterior- or anterior-most domains of the embryo, respectively. During late gastrulation and neurulation, Xcad-2 plays an additional regulatory function in relation to the Hox genes. Hox genes normally expressed anteriorly are repressed by Xcad-2 overexpression while those normally expressed posteriorly exhibit more anterior expression. The results show that the caudal genes are part of a posterior determining network which during early gastrulation functions in the subdivision of the embryo into anterior head and trunk domains. Later in gastrulation and neurulation these genes play a role in the patterning of the trunk region.
AB - Patterning along the anterior-posterior axis takes place during gastrulation and early neurulation. Homeobox genes like Otx-2 and members of the Hox family have been implicated in this process. The caudal genes in Drosophila and C. elegans have been shown to determine posterior fates. In vertebrates, the caudal genes begin their expression during gastrulation and they take up a posterior position. By injecting sense and antisense RNA of the Xenopus caudal gene Xcad-2, we have studied a number of regulatory interactions among homeobox genes along the anterior-posterior axis. Initially, the Xcad-2 and Otx-2 genes are mutually repressed and, by late gastrulation, they mark the posterior- or anterior-most domains of the embryo, respectively. During late gastrulation and neurulation, Xcad-2 plays an additional regulatory function in relation to the Hox genes. Hox genes normally expressed anteriorly are repressed by Xcad-2 overexpression while those normally expressed posteriorly exhibit more anterior expression. The results show that the caudal genes are part of a posterior determining network which during early gastrulation functions in the subdivision of the embryo into anterior head and trunk domains. Later in gastrulation and neurulation these genes play a role in the patterning of the trunk region.
KW - Gastrulation
KW - Hox
KW - Neurulation
KW - Otx-2
KW - Regulatory interaction
KW - Xcad gene
KW - Xenopus
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0030840280&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1242/dev.124.19.3805
DO - 10.1242/dev.124.19.3805
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C2 - 9367436
AN - SCOPUS:0030840280
SN - 0950-1991
VL - 124
SP - 3805
EP - 3814
JO - Journal of Embryology and Experimental Morphology
JF - Journal of Embryology and Experimental Morphology
IS - 19
ER -