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Fetal and postnatal development of palmar, plantar, and digital pads, and flexion creases of the rat ( Rattus norvegicus )
Author(s) -
Kimura Sumiko,
Schaumann Blanka A.,
Shiota Kohei
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
journal of morphology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.652
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1097-4687
pISSN - 0362-2525
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-4687(199605)228:2<179::aid-jmor6>3.0.co;2-0
Subject(s) - dermatoglyphics , fetus , biology , anatomy , apical ectodermal ridge , gestational age , physiology , pregnancy , embryogenesis , embryo , microbiology and biotechnology , genetics , ectoderm
Fetal development of the hands and feet of rats was investigated to determine the feasibility of using rats as an experimental model for studying the factors influencing early development of the hands and feet, and especially the dermatoglyphics in humans. Eighty rat fetuses of 14–21 days gestational age and 80 newborn rats of 0–7 days of age were used to study the morphological features of the palmar, plantar, and digital areas and to determine the timing of appearance and the location of the volar pads and flexion creases. Comparisons between analogous developmental stages of rat and human fetuses demonstrate striking similarities in overall fetal development. Marked differences, however, were found between rat and human fetuses in the timing of developmental milestones and in some morphological features. The results indicate that rats can serve as a useful experimental model in studies of the utility of the epidermal ridge configurations and flexion creases in medical disorders, provided that the differences in the timing of development are taken into consideration. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.