Gli proteins and the control of spinal-cord patterning
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Updated: Sep 20, 2026

Assaying the Ability of Diffusible Signaling Molecules to Reorient Embryonic Spinal Commissural Axons
Published on: March 8, 2010
1Division of Developmental Neurobiology, National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AA, UK.
Abstract:
The secreted protein sonic hedgehog (Shh) is crucial for the specification of neuronal subtype identity in the vertebrate neural tube. Zinc-finger proteins of the Gli family are known to be transcriptional mediators of Shh signalling, and to coordinately pattern the dorsal-ventral axis of the spinal cord. Recent studies indicate that additional signals may provide positional information in parallel to Shh to specify neuronal fate in this tissue. We review the role of Gli proteins in spinal-cord development and propose that various upstream patterning signals may be integrated by the Gli proteins to direct a coherent programme of neurogenesis.
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