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Related Experiment Video

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Generation of Dispersed Presomitic Mesoderm Cell Cultures for Imaging of the Zebrafish Segmentation Clock in Single Cells

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Building the spine: the vertebrate segmentation clock.

¹Howard Hughes Medical Institute, USA.

Cold Spring Harbor Symposia on Quantitative Biology

|April 19, 2008

Summary

Animal and plant species exhibit periodic anatomical modules. Vertebrate segmentation relies on a molecular segmentation clock, but its precise molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood.

Area of Science:

Developmental biology
Comparative anatomy
Molecular genetics

Background:

Many animal and plant species display periodically repeated anatomical modules.
Segmentation, a body axis patterning strategy in animals, is observed in both vertebrates and invertebrates.
Vertebrate segmentation is linked to a molecular oscillator known as the segmentation clock.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the segmentation clock.
To understand the role of signaling pathways in generating periodic gene expression for segmentation.

Main Methods:

Analysis of microarray data in mouse models.
Investigation of gene networks involving Notch, Wnt, and FGF pathways.
Exploration of negative autoregulatory circuits involving hairy and enhancer of split genes.

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Three and Four-Dimensional Visualization and Analysis Approaches to Study Vertebrate Axial Elongation and Segmentation

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Published on: February 28, 2021

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Last Updated: Jul 5, 2026

Generation of Dispersed Presomitic Mesoderm Cell Cultures for Imaging of the Zebrafish Segmentation Clock in Single Cells

Generation of Dispersed Presomitic Mesoderm Cell Cultures for Imaging of the Zebrafish Segmentation Clock in Single Cells

Published on: July 24, 2014

Three and Four-Dimensional Visualization and Analysis Approaches to Study Vertebrate Axial Elongation and Segmentation

Three and Four-Dimensional Visualization and Analysis Approaches to Study Vertebrate Axial Elongation and Segmentation

Published on: February 28, 2021

Main Results:

Identification of a large network of oscillating signaling genes within the Notch, Wnt, and FGF pathways.
Previous models suggested simple autoregulatory circuits as the clock pacemaker.
The precise molecular clockwork remains incompletely understood despite progress.

Conclusions:

The segmentation clock is a crucial component of vertebrate segmentation.
Oscillating gene networks, particularly involving Notch, Wnt, and FGF, are implicated in the segmentation clock.
Further research is needed to fully elucidate the molecular basis of this developmental oscillator.