Pattern formation in the lateral line of zebrafish

The lateral line of fish and amphibians is a sensory system that comprises a number of individual sense organs, the neuromasts, arranged in a defined pattern on the surface of the body. A conspicuous part of the system is a l ine of organs that extends along each flank (and which gave the system its name). At the end of zebrafish embryogenesis, this line comprises 7-8 neuro masts regularly spaced between the ear and the tip of the tail. The neuroma sts are deposited by a migrating primordium that originates from the otic r egion. Here, we follow the development of this pattern and show that hetero geneities within the migrating primordium prefigure neuromast formation. (C ) 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.