title: Early development of the vertebral column.
abstract: The segmental organization of the vertebrate body is most obviously visible in the vertebral column, which consists of a series of vertebral bones and interconnecting joints and ligaments. During embryogenesis, the vertebral column derives from the somites, which are the primary segments of the embryonic paraxial mesoderm. Anatomical, cellular and molecular aspects of vertebral column development have been of interest to developmental biologists for more than 150 years. This review briefly summarizes the present knowledge on early steps of vertebral column development in amniotes, starting from sclerotome formation and leading to the establishment of the anatomical bauplan of the spine composed of vertebral bodies, vertebral arches, intervertebral discs and ribs, and their specific axial identities along the body axis.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Anatomy II, University of Cologne, Joseph-Stelzmann-Str. 9, 50931 Cologne, Germany. Electronic address: martin.scaal@uk-koeln.de.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Scaal
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015870:Gene Expression; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D006801:Humans; D007403:Intervertebral Disc / Q000196:embryology; D008022:Ligaments / Q000196:embryology; D013131:Spine / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000196:embryology*; D013710:Tendons / Q000196:embryology; D021801:Zygapophyseal Joint / Q000196:embryology
keywords: Intervertebral disk; Sclerotome; Segment; Somite; Vertebra