Related Experiment Videos
FGF7 and FGF10 directly induce the apical ectodermal ridge in chick embryos
S Yonei-Tamura1, T Endo, H Yajima
1Biological Institute, Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, 980-8578, Japan. tam@biology.tohoku.ac.jp
Developmental Biology
|June 22, 1999
Summary
Fibroblast growth factors FGF7 and FGF10 directly induce the apical ectodermal ridge (AER), crucial for vertebrate limb development. This finding identifies key molecular signals essential for limb bud outgrowth.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Molecular Biology
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- The apical ectodermal ridge (AER) is essential for vertebrate limb development, controlling limb initiation and outgrowth.
- The specific molecular signals that induce AER formation remain unidentified.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify the direct molecular inducers of the apical ectodermal ridge (AER) during vertebrate limb development.
- To investigate the role of fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) in AER induction.
Main Methods:
- Experiments involved applying FGF7 and FGF10 to chick embryo ectoderm (flank and dorsal midline).
- Assessed the induction of ectopic AER and expression of the AER marker gene Fgf8.
- Compared the effects of FGF7 and FGF10 with FGF1, FGF2, and FGF4.
Main Results:
- FGF7 induced an ectopic AER in flank ectoderm, activating Fgf8 expression independently of mesoderm.
- FGF7 and FGF10 induced ectopic AER in dorsal median ectoderm.
- FGF7 demonstrated distinct induction patterns compared to FGF1, FGF2, and FGF4.
Conclusions:
- FGF7 and FGF10 are identified as direct inducers of the AER in both flank and dorsal midline ectoderm.
- The flank and dorsal midline ectoderm possess the competence for AER induction.
- Dorsal median AER formation may represent an evolutionary remnant of ancestral dorsal fins.