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Published on: February 28, 2021
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RARβ2 is required for vertebrate somitogenesis.
Amanda Janesick1, Weiyi Tang1, Tuyen T L Nguyen1
1Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, 2011 Biological Sciences 3, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-2300, USA.
Development (Cambridge, England)
|April 23, 2017
Summary
Retinoic acid receptor beta 2 (RARβ2) is essential for vertebrate somitogenesis, controlling somite number, size, and patterning. This study reveals RARβ2
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Retinoic acid (RA) establishes the determination wavefront during vertebrate somitogenesis.
- The specific roles of Retinoic Acid Receptor (RAR) subtypes in somite patterning remain unclear.
- RARβ function has been difficult to study due to lack of phenotypes in mouse models.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the specific role of RARβ2 in vertebrate somitogenesis.
- To characterize the function of RARβ2 in somite patterning, boundary setting, and cell migration.
- To identify downstream targets and regulatory mechanisms of RARβ2 during somitogenesis.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the *Xenopus* model system for functional studies.
- Investigated gene expression patterns and protein localization.
- Performed loss-of-function and gain-of-function analyses.
Main Results:
- RARβ2 regulates somite number, size, and anterior presomitic mesoderm boundary.
- RARβ2 influences somite chevron morphology and hypaxial myoblast migration.
- RARβ2 upregulates *Tbx3* (hypaxial muscle marker) and downregulates *Tbx6* via *Ripply2*.
Conclusions:
- RARβ2 plays a critical and early role in vertebrate somitogenesis.
- RARβ2 acts as a key regulator of somite patterning and progenitor cell fate.
- This study provides the first evidence for an essential function of RARβ2 in somitogenesis.
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