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Gastrulation establishes the three primary tissues of an embryo: the ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. This developmental process relies on a series of intricate cellular movements, which in humans transforms a flat, “bilaminar disc” composed of two cell sheets into a three-tiered structure. In the resulting embryo, the endoderm serves as the bottom layer, and stacked directly above it is the intermediate mesoderm, and then the uppermost ectoderm. Respectively, these tissue strata will form...
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Three and Four-Dimensional Visualization and Analysis Approaches to Study Vertebrate Axial Elongation and Segmentation
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Balancing segmentation and laterality during vertebrate development.

Tim Brend1, Scott A Holley

  • 1Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520-8103, USA.

Seminars in Cell & Developmental Biology
|December 17, 2008
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Retinoic acid maintains symmetrical somitogenesis in vertebrate embryos. It prevents left-right patterning signals from interfering with segmentation, ensuring proper development of the vertebral column and muscles.

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Area of Science:

  • Developmental biology
  • Embryology
  • Cell signaling

Background:

  • Somites are segmented blocks of mesoderm forming the vertebral column, skeletal muscle, and dermis.
  • Somitogenesis, the process of somite formation, is periodic and bilaterally symmetric.
  • Left-right asymmetry specification occurs near somitogenesis, utilizing shared signaling pathways.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review evidence on the interplay between somitogenesis and left-right patterning.
  • To highlight the role of retinoic acid in maintaining somitogenesis symmetry.
  • To explain how retinoic acid prevents disruption of paraxial mesoderm by asymmetry signals.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of recent evidence.
  • Analysis of cell signaling pathways involved in somitogenesis and asymmetry.
  • Examination of retinoic acid's regulatory role.

Main Results:

  • Cross-talk exists between somitogenesis and left-right asymmetry specification.
  • Retinoic acid plays a crucial role in preserving the symmetry of somitogenesis.
  • Retinoic acid acts by blocking left-right patterning signals from affecting the paraxial mesoderm.

Conclusions:

  • Retinoic acid is essential for symmetrical somitogenesis.
  • Understanding this cross-talk is key to comprehending vertebrate embryonic development.
  • Interference in these pathways can lead to developmental abnormalities.