FGF signaling enhances a sonic hedgehog negative feedback loop at the initiation of spinal cord ventral patterning.

ABSTRACT: A prevalent developmental mechanism for the assignment of cell identities is the production of spatiotemporal concentration gradients of extracellular signaling molecules that are interpreted by the responding cells. One of such signaling systems is the Shh gradient that controls neuronal subtype identity in the ventral spinal cord. Using loss and gain of function approaches in chick and mouse embryos, we show here that the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling pathway is required to restrict the domains of ventral gene expression as neuroepithelial cells become exposed to Shh during caudal extension of the embryo. FGF signaling activates the expression of the Shh receptor and negative pathway regulator Patched 2 (Ptch2) and therefore can enhance a negative feedback loop that restrains

SUBMITTER: Morales AV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7479395 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature