I. Olivera-martinez et al., Dorsal dermis development depends on a signal from the dorsal neural tube,which can be substituted by Wnt-1, MECH DEVEL, 100(2), 2001, pp. 233-244
To investigate the origin and nature of the signals responsible for specifi
cation of the dermatomal lineage, excised axial organs in 2-day-old chick e
mbryos were replaced by grafts of the dorsal neural tube, or the ventral ne
ural tube plus the notochord, or aggegates of cells engineered to produce S
onic hedgehog (Shh), Noggin, BMP-2, Wnt-1, or Wnt-3a. By E10, grafts of the
ventral neural tube plus notochord or of cells producing Shh led to differ
entiation of cartilage and muscles, and an impaired dermis derived from alr
eady segmented somites. In contrast, grafts of the dorsal neural tube, or o
f cells producing Wnt-1, triggered the formation of a feather-inducing derm
is. These results show that the dermatome inducer is produced by the dorsal
neural tube. The signal can be Wnt-1 itself, or can be mediated, or at lea
st mimicked by Wnt-1. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights res
erved.