Limb development: a paradigm of gene regulation.
The limb is a commonly used model system for developmental biology. Given the need for precise control of complex signalling pathways to achieve proper patterning, the limb is also becoming a model system for gene regulation studies. Recent developments in genomic technologies have enabled the genome-wide identification of regulatory elements that control limb development, yielding insights into the determination of limb morphology and forelimb versus hindlimb identity. The modulation of regulatory interactions - for example, through the modification of regulatory sequences or chromatin architecture - can lead to morphological evolution, acquired regeneration capacity or limb malformations in diverse species, including humans.
Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California San Francisco, California 94158, USA.|University of Lille, CHU Lille, EA 7364-RADEME, F-59000 Lille, France.
Florence
F
Petit
School of Integrative Biology, Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA.
Karen E
KE
Sears
Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California San Francisco, California 94158, USA.|Institute for Human Genetics, University of California San Francisco, California 94158, USA.
Nadav
N
Ahituv
D000818:Animals; D005552:Forelimb / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D006614:Hindlimb / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D038081:Organogenesis / Q000235:genetics*; D015398:Signal Transduction