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The control of somitogenesis in mouse embryos
Journal of Embryology and Experimental Morphology
|October 1, 1981
Summary
Mouse embryonic development involves somitogenesis, the formation of body segments. Embryonic growth rate influences somite formation timing and size, with adjustments ensuring normal body size restoration.
Area of Science:
- Developmental biology
- Embryogenesis
- Morphogenesis
Background:
- Somitogenesis is the process of forming somites, the precursors to vertebrae and skeletal muscle.
- Somite formation occurs sequentially along the anterior-posterior axis of the developing embryo.
- Somite size varies by position, with lumbar and sacral somites larger than upper trunk and tail somites.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between embryonic growth and somitogenesis in mice.
- To understand how compensatory growth affects somite formation and size.
- To explore the regulatory mechanisms controlling somite number and size during development.
Main Methods:
- Observation of mouse embryos undergoing somitogenesis.
- Analysis of somite formation and size during normal and compensatory growth.
- Correlation of embryonic growth profiles with somitogenesis kinetics.
Main Results:
- Somitogenesis is disrupted in mouse embryos with reduced size during early development.
- Retarded somite formation and smaller upper trunk somites were observed.
- Despite initial disruptions, normal body size and somite number are restored by the early fetal stage.
Conclusions:
- Embryonic growth rate is a critical factor controlling the kinetics of somitogenesis.
- Axis formation and somitogenesis are interconnected morphogenetic processes.
- The embryo regulates somite number and size in proportion to overall body size during development.