Neuraxial patterning is a continuous process that extends over a protracted period of
development. During gastrulation a crude anteroposterior pattern, detectable by molecular …

Since the proposal of the differential adhesion hypothesis, scientists have been fascinated
by how cell adhesion mediates cellular self-organization to form spatial patterns during …

Mutations in human SOX9 are associated with campomelic dysplasia (CD), characterised by
skeletal malformation and XY sex reversal1–3. During chondrogenesis in the mouse, Sox9 …

Mathematical reaction-diffusion models have been suggested to describe formation of
animal pigmentation patterns and distribution of epidermal appendages. However, the …

Pluripotent stem cells can self-renew in culture and differentiate along all somatic lineages
in vivo. While much is known about the molecular basis of pluripotency, the mechanisms of …

The HOM‐C clustered prototype homeobox genes of Drosophila, and their counterparts, the
HOX genes in humans, are highly conserved at the genomic level. These master regulators …

Vertebrate innovations include neural crest cells and their derivatives, neurogenic placodes,
an elaborate segmented brain, endoskeleton, and an increase in the number of genes in the …

Understanding the patterning mechanisms that control head development—particularly the
neural crest and its contribution to bones, nerves and connective tissue—is an important …

Targeted disruption of the murine retinaldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (Raldh2) gene precludes
embryonic retinoic acid (RA) synthesis, leading to midgestational lethality (Niederreither, K …

Retinoids are essential for normal development and both deficiency and excess of retinoic
acid (RA) are teratogenic. Retinoic acid response elements (RAREs) have been identified in …