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Midbrain development induced by FGF8 in the chick embryo

Nature volume 380, pages 66–68 (1996)Cite this article

Abstract

VERTEBRATE midbrain development depends on an organizing centre located at the isthmus, a constriction in the embryonic mid/hindbrain region1–3,28. Isthmic tissue grafts transform chick caudal forebrain into an ectopic midbrain that is the mirror image of the normal midbrain4. Here we report that FGF8 protein has the same midbrain-inducing and polarizing effect as isthmic tissue. Moreover, FGF8 induces ectopic expression in the forebrain of genes normally expressed in the isthmus, suggesting that the ectopic midbrain forms under the influence of signals from a new 'isthmus-like' organizing centre induced in the forebrain. Because Fgf8 itself is expressed in the isthmus, our results identify FGF8 as an important signalling molecule in normal midbrain development.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomy and Program in Developmental Biology, School of Medicine, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, California, 94143-0452, USA

    Philip H. Crossley & Gail R. Martin

  2. Department of Morphological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Murcia, Institute of Neurosciences, University of Alicante, Spain

    Salvador Martinez

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  1. Philip H. Crossley
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  2. Salvador Martinez
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Crossley, P., Martinez, S. & Martin, G. Midbrain development induced by FGF8 in the chick embryo. Nature 380, 66–68 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1038/380066a0

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