title: Notch signalling regulates the contribution of progenitor cells from the chick Hensen's node to the floor plate and notochord.
abstract: Hensen's node of the chick embryo contains multipotent self-renewing progenitor cells that can contribute to either the floor plate or the notochord. Floor plate cells are a population of epithelial cells that lie at the ventral midline of the developing neural tube, whereas the notochord is a rod of axial mesoderm that lies directly beneath the floor plate. These two tissues serve as a source of a potent signalling morphogen, sonic hedgehog (Shh), which patterns the dorsoventral axis of the neural tube. We show, through both gain- and loss-of-function approaches, that Notch signalling promotes the contribution of chick axial progenitor cells to the floor plate and inhibits contribution to the notochord. Thus, we propose that Notch regulates the allocation of appropriate numbers of progenitor cells from Hensen's node of the chick embryo to the notochord and the floor plate.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cell and Developmental Biology, College of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, Scotland, UK.
authors.forename: Shona D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Gray
authors.forename: J Kim
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Dale
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D030161:Avian Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D002642:Chick Embryo; D004151:Dipeptides / Q000494:pharmacology; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D053823:Hedgehog Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D008954:Models, Biological; D009672:Notochord / Q000196:embryology*; D020897:Organizers, Embryonic / Q000196:embryology*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051880:Receptors, Notch / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000502:physiology*; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D030161:Avian Proteins; D004151:Dipeptides; D053823:Hedgehog Proteins; C419410:N-(N-(3,5-difluorophenacetyl)alanyl)phenylglycine tert-butyl ester; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D051880:Receptors, Notch