title: Anterior neural induction by nodes from rabbits and mice.
abstract: The organizer of vertebrate embryos represents the major regulatory center for the formation of the embryonic axis during gastrulation. The early blastopore lip of amphibia and Hensen's node of the chick at the full-length primitive streak stage possess both a head- and a trunk-inducing potential. In mice, a head-inducing activity was identified in the extraembryonic, anterior visceral endoderm (AVE) by tissue ablation and genetic experiments. Evidence for a similar activity in the AVE from the rabbit was obtained by transplanting below the avian epiblast. However, it was still unclear whether the AVE is the exclusive origin of anterior neural induction or if this activity is recapitulated by the node and/or its derivatives. We report here that nodes from both rabbit and mouse embryos can induce a complete neural axis including forebrain structures upon grafting to chick hosts. Thus, in rabbits and mice not only the AVE, but also the node, possesses a potential for the induction of anterior neural tissue.
authors.affiliation: Abteilung Molekulare Zellbiologie, Max-Planck-Institut für Biophysikalische Chemie, Göttingen, D-37077, Germany.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Knoetgen
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Teichmann
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wittler
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Viebahn
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kessel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers; D019521:Body Patterning / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000196:embryology*; D002642:Chick Embryo; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D051767:Early Growth Response Protein 2; D004475:Ectoderm / Q000502:physiology; D004627:Embryonic Induction / Q000502:physiology*; D004707:Endoderm / Q000502:physiology* / Q000637:transplantation; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D051379:Mice; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D009432:Neural Crest / Q000502:physiology*; D051857:Otx Transcription Factors; D011817:Rabbits; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000196:embryology*; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000032:analysis; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000032:analysis; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous; D014781:Viscera / Q000196:embryology
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D051767:Early Growth Response Protein 2; C497327:Egr2 protein, mouse; C513182:Gbx2 protein, mouse; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D051857:Otx Transcription Factors; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors