Timed Collinear Activation of Hox Genes during Gastrulation Controls the Avian Forelimb Position.

ABSTRACT: Limb position along the body is highly consistent within one species but very variable among vertebrates. Despite major advances in our understanding of limb patterning in three dimensions, how limbs reproducibly form along the antero-posterior axis remains largely unknown. Hox genes have long been suspected to control limb position; however, supporting evidences are mostly correlative and their role in this process is unclear. Here, we show that limb position is determined early in development through the action of Hox genes. Dynamic lineage analysis revealed that, during gastrulation, the forelimb, interlimb, and hindlimb fields are progressively generated and concomitantly patterned by the collinear activation of Hox genes in a two-step process. First, the sequential activation of Hoxb

SUBMITTER: Moreau C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6331352 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature