Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 15, 2026

Laser Capture Microdissection of Mouse Embryonic Cartilage and Bone for Gene Expression Analysis
Published on: December 18, 2019
Homeobox gene expression correlated with the bifurcation process of limb cartilage development
Y Yokouchi1, H Sasaki, A Kuroiwa
1Biological Institute, Faculty of Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
Abstract:
The complex architecture of the limb cartilage pattern probably develops by the sequential segmentation and branching process of precartilaginous cell condensation under the control of positional signalling provided by the zone of polarizing activity (anteroposterior) and the apical ectodermal ridge (proximodistal). This signalling is monitored and interpreted in the mesenchymal cells and induces the position-specific response of subsets of genes. Homeobox genes may be responsible for the interpretation of signalling. A correlation between limb pattern and expression domains of the homeobox genes in the upstream region of Hox/Chox-4 has been proposed. We have analysed the spatial expression pattern of the Chox-1 genes during development of chick limb buds. In contrast to genes in Hox/Chox-4 expressed coordinately along the anteroposterior axis, homeobox genes in Chox-1 have unique and mutually exclusive expression domains along the proximodistal axis. We report here that the expression domains of the Chox-1 genes are closely related to the segmental structure of cartilage along the proximodistal axis, whereas the expression domains of the Chox-4 genes are related to the cartilage branching pattern.
More Related Videos
12:59Three and Four-Dimensional Visualization and Analysis Approaches to Study Vertebrate Axial Elongation and Segmentation
Published on: February 28, 2021
06:57Analysis of Transforming Growth Factor ß Family Cleavage Products Secreted Into the Blastocoele of Xenopus laevis Embryos
Published on: July 21, 2021
Related Concept Videos
Bone Remodeling
Growth of Cartilage and Bone Tissue
Bone Formation by Intramembranous Ossification
The process begins when mesenchymal cells in the embryonic skeleton gather together and differentiate into osteogenic cells, which then develop into...
Changes in the Appendicular Skeleton with Age
Initially, the limb buds consist of a core of mesenchyme covered by a layer of ectoderm. The ectoderm at the end of the limb bud thickens to form a narrow crest called the apical ectodermal ridge. This ridge stimulates the underlying...
Development of the Limb Synovial Joints
The mesenchymal stem cells differentiate into chondrocytes that form the hyaline cartilage, and later the cartilaginous model of the bone. This model further transforms into a bone. This process is known as endochondral ossification.
During development, the limbs...
Bone Formation by Endochondral Ossification