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Determination

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During embryogenesis, cells become progressively committed to different fates through a two-step process: specification followed by determination. Specification is demonstrated by removing a segment of an early embryo, “neutrally” culturing the tissue in vitro—for example, in a petri dish with simple medium—and then observing the derivatives. If the cultured region gives rise to cell types that it would normally generate in the embryo, this means that it is specified. In contrast, determination...

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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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The Notch signaling pathway is a major intracellular signaling pathway that is highly conserved over a broad spectrum of metazoan species. It stands unique from other intracellular signaling mechanisms in animals because notch protein itself acts as the receptor as well as the primary signaling molecule.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 15, 2026

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

Signaling gradients during paraxial mesoderm development.

Alexander Aulehla¹, Olivier Pourquié

¹Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, Missouri 64110, USA.

Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology

|February 26, 2010

Summary

Wnt, FGF, and retinoic acid (RA) signaling gradients control embryonic somite formation. These pathways interact with the segmentation clock, influencing cell differentiation and axial patterning.

Area of Science:

Developmental biology
Molecular biology
Embryology

Background:

Somite formation is a key process in vertebrate embryonic development.
The anterior-posterior axis patterning involves complex signaling pathways.
Wnt, FGF, and retinoic acid (RA) signaling pathways are crucial for embryonic development.

Purpose of the Study:

To elucidate the roles of Wnt, FGF, and RA signaling gradients in somite formation.
To understand the interplay between signaling pathways and the segmentation clock.
To investigate the dose-dependent effects of signaling gradients on paraxial mesoderm progenitors.

Main Methods:

Analysis of signaling pathway distribution in the paraxial mesoderm.
Investigating source-sink and RNA decay mechanisms for signaling gradient generation.

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Examining the relationship between signaling pathways, segmentation clock, and gastrulation movements.

Main Results:

Wnt and FGF signaling are highest in the presomitic mesoderm (PSM), while RA signaling is highest in somites.
Both source-sink and RNA decay mechanisms contribute to generating signaling gradients.
High Wnt and FGF signaling levels are necessary for segmentation clock activity.
Signaling gradients influence cell movements during gastrulation in a dose-dependent manner.

Conclusions:

Wnt, FGF, and RA signaling gradients are essential for sequential somite formation.
The segmentation clock's activity is regulated by these signaling pathways.
Signaling gradients play a critical role in paraxial mesoderm differentiation and axial patterning, including Hox gene expression.