Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 8, 2026

Embryo Microinjection and Electroporation in the Chordate Ciona intestinalis
Published on: October 16, 2016
Brachyury-downstream gene sets in a chordate, Ciona intestinalis: integrating notochord specification, morphogenesis
Kohji Hotta1, Hiroki Takahashi, Nori Satoh
1Center for Information Biology, National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, Shizuoka 411-8540, Japan. khotta@bio.keio.ac.jp
Abstract:
In vertebrates, Brachyury, a T-box transcription factor gene, seems to have a dual role in the differentiation of axial midline mesoderm cells into notochord and gastrulation cell movements regulated by non-canonical Wnt/planar cell polarity (Wnt/PCP) signaling. To understand the function of Brachyury-downstream genes in chordate embryos, from a series of our survey on differential expression, including subtractive hybridization, dot-blot assays, EST sequences and the expression patterns in whole-mount in situ hybridization at embryonic stages, we developed a knowledge database called "CINOBI: CionaNotochord and Brachyury-downstream gene Index" to create comprehensive catalogues of Brachyury-downstream gene sets in Ciona intestinalis. Combining genome and large-scale cDNA data, we were able to characterize 450 non-redundant Brachyury-downstream genes: Twenty-four genes were newly annotated as notochord-expressed genes. Several genes are components of signaling pathways such as Wnt/PCP, Nf kappaB and TGF-beta signaling. We propose that Brachyury is linked to these pathways regulating the expression of each component, and such a regulatory mechanism might be conserved among chordates.
More Related Videos
07:34The Power of Simplicity: Sea Urchin Embryos as in Vivo Developmental Models for Studying Complex Cell-to-cell Signaling Network Interactions
Published on: February 16, 2017
12:59Three and Four-Dimensional Visualization and Analysis Approaches to Study Vertebrate Axial Elongation and Segmentation
Published on: February 28, 2021
Related Concept Videos
Determination
Gastrulation
Role Of Notch Signalling In Intestinal Stem Cell Renewal
Direct cell-to-cell contact is needed for the activation of Notch signaling. The signal is initiated when a notch ligand binds to a receptor on an adjacent cell, also...
Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways
Neurulation