Mesoderm and jaw development in vertebrates: the role of growth factors.
The head and neck arise during development as the result of a complex series of cellular and molecular interactions that begin in the fertilized egg. In this article, the role of an important class of molecules, growth factors, is examined in two main steps of the developmental sequence: the initial induction of mesoderm and the later induction of jaw cartilage and bone. The article focuses particularly on the roles of members of the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta), fibroblast growth factor (FGF), and epithelial growth factor (EGF) families in these processes and current models of growth factor involvement. Possible experiments for the future are discussed.
Milos
N C
NC
Department of Oral Biology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
D000818:Animals; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor / Q000502:physiology*; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors / Q000502:physiology*; D007568:Jaw / Q000196:embryology*; D008648:Mesoderm / Q000502:physiology*; D009857:Oncogenes / Q000502:physiology; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000502:physiology*; D014714:Vertebrates
D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor