title: Assignment of early caudal identity to neural plate cells by a signal from caudal paraxial mesoderm.
abstract: The early patterning of the vertebrate central nervous system involves the generation of progenitor cells with distinct fates at rostral and caudal levels of the neuraxis. We provide evidence that the assignment of early rostrocaudal differences in progenitor cell properties is established by spatial restrictions in the signaling properties of the paraxial mesoderm and epidermal ectoderm. Caudal level paraxial mesoderm secretes a factor, distinct from retinoic acid or fibroblast growth factors (FGFs), that can impose caudal fates on prospective anterior proencephalic progenitors. The caudalizing activity of the paraxial mesoderm can, however, be induced by FGF signaling. The distinct properties of cells at rostral and caudal levels of the neural plate appear to depend, in addition, on the early exclusion of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) from rostral level epidermal ectoderm. Thus, differences in the signaling properties of cell groups that flank the neural plate appear to contribute to the early rostrocaudal identity of neural cells, distinguishing progenitor cells at prospective anterior proencephalic regions from those at more caudal levels of the neuraxis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Umeå University, Sweden.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Muhr
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Jessell
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Edlund
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D019556:COS Cells / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000502:physiology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology; D002642:Chick Embryo; D004475:Ectoderm / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D004627:Embryonic Induction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D000078404:Epidermal Cells; D004817:Epidermis / Q000196:embryology; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 / Q000494:pharmacology; D053823:Hedgehog Proteins; D008648:Mesoderm / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D009432:Neural Crest / Q000166:cytology*; D011506:Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology*; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D013687:Telencephalon / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology*; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins; D053823:Hedgehog Proteins; D011506:Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2