Concerted involvement of Cdx/Hox genes and Wnt signalling in morphogenesis of the caudal neural tube and cloacal derivatives from the posterior growth zone.

ABSTRACT: Decrease in Cdx dosage in an allelic series of mouse Cdx mutants leads to progressively more severe posterior vertebral defects. These defects are corrected by posterior gain of function of the Wnt effector Lef1. Precocious expression of Hox paralogous 13 genes also induces vertebral axis truncation by antagonizing Cdx function. We report here that the phenotypic similarity also applies to patterning of the caudal neural tube and uro-rectal tracts in Cdx and Wnt3a mutants, and in embryos precociously expressing Hox13 genes. Cdx2 inactivation after placentation leads to posterior defects including incomplete uro-rectal septation. Compound mutants carrying one active Cdx2 allele in the Cdx4 null background (Cdx2/4), transgenic embryos precociously expressing Hox13 genes, and a novel

ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus

SUBMITTER: Cesca van de Ven 

PROVIDER: E-GEOD-30113 | biostudies-arrayexpress |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-arrayexpress