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Expression of Meis2, a Knotted ‐related murine homeobox gene, indicates a role in the differentiation of the forebrain and the somitic mesoderm
Author(s) -
Cecconi Francesco,
Proetzel Gabriele,
AlvarezBolado Gonzalo,
Jay Desmond,
Gruss Peter
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
developmental dynamics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.634
H-Index - 141
eISSN - 1097-0177
pISSN - 1058-8388
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0177(199710)210:2<184::aid-aja10>3.0.co;2-e
Subject(s) - biology , homeobox , forebrain , dlx5 , mesoderm , intermediate mesoderm , homeobox protein nkx 2.5 , fgf and mesoderm formation , microbiology and biotechnology , paraxial mesoderm , genetics , gene , anatomy , embryonic stem cell , gene expression , endocrinology , central nervous system
Knotted (Kn) genes are expressed within restricted domains of the plant meristems and play a key role in the control of plant morphogenesis. We have isolated the Kn ‐related gene Meis2 in mouse, which labels the lateral somitic compartment and its derivatives during early mouse embryogenesis and later becomes a marker for the dorso‐ectodermal region overlying cells of the paraxial mesoderm. Meis2 is also highly expressed in specific areas of the developing central nervous system from embryonic day 9 (e9) onward. In later developmental stages, a strong expression is detectable in differentiating nuclei and regions of the forebrain, midbrain, hindbrain, and spinal cord. This temporal and spatial expression pattern suggests that Meis2 may play an important role in the cascade of induction leading to somitic differentiation as well as in brain regionalization and histogenesis. Dev. Dyn. 1997;210:184–190. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.