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Published July 11, 1997 | public
Journal Article

Specification of the Zebrafish Nervous System by Nonaxial Signals

Abstract

The organizer of the amphibian gastrula provides the neurectoderm with both neuralizing and posteriorizing (transforming) signals. In zebrafish, transplantations show that a spatially distinct transformer signal emanates from tissues other than the organizer. Cells of the germring (nonaxial mesendoderm) posteriorized forebrain progenitors when grafted nearby, resulting in an ectopic hindbrain-like structure; in contrast, cells of the organizer (axial mesendoderm) caused no posterior transformation. Local application of basic fibroblast growth factor, a candidate transformer in Xenopus, caused malformation but not hindbrain transformation in the forebrain. Thus, the zebrafish gastrula may integrate spatially distinct signals from the organizer and the germring to pattern the neural axis.

Additional Information

© 1997 American Association for the Advancement of Science. Received 8 October 1996; accepted 27 May 1997. We thank T. Jowett and E. Weinberg for probes, J. Shih for advice on transplantation, M. Selleck and C. LaBonne for advice on bead experiments, and A. Collazo, C. Krull, C. LaBonne, A. Louie, E. Krider, J. Shih, P. Sternberg, B. Wold, K. Zinn, and two anonymous reviewers for comments. Supported by grants from the Beckman Institute and by a National Institute of Mental Health Silvio Conte Center award.

Additional details

Created:
August 19, 2023
Modified:
October 18, 2023