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Building limb buds
Author(s) -
Torres Miguel,
Couso JuanPablo,
Ros Maria A
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
embo reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.584
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1469-3178
pISSN - 1469-221X
DOI - 10.1093/embo-reports/kvf199
Subject(s) - biology
A recent workshop (April 8–10,2002) on limb development, cosponsored by the Juan March Foundation and EMBO, gathered 50 people together in Madrid to present and discuss their latest results.![][1] This workshop on limb development was a highly enjoyable meeting that covered a wide range of topics related to appendage development and evolution. The discussions were vivid, open and stimulating for all participants. It was particularly interesting to see how broadly accepted concepts, such as the morphogen models in the fly and the progress zone model in vertebrates, were re‐evaluated on the basis of new evidence presented. Important contributions included intense analyses of the roles of factors important in limb development, such as Wingless (Wg) in the fly and Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) in vertebrates. In addition, the overall view of appendage evolution was significantly expanded by data arising from new animal models such as dogfish and cricket and from the analysis of regulatory regions of genes involved in appendage patterning. Within the limits of this report, we have tried to condense the essentials of the advances presented at this meeting.### Limb initiation and identityLimb initiation in vertebrates is coupled to the general embryonic patterning system controlled by Homeobox (Hox) genes. Although the Hox‐based mechanisms that pattern the embryo and determine limb‐type identity are similar in insects and vertebrates, the molecular readout of these early processes is increasingly showing them to be distinct. The trend towards differences between the systems was also reflected at this meeting, since unrelated mechanisms that trigger these processes in vertebrates and insects were reported.The current model for limb specification in vertebrates postulates a complicated interplay between Wnt (orthologous to Wg in the fly) and FGF (fibroblast growth factor) signaling pathways in this process (Kawakami et al ., 2001). Two new elements were added to this model at the meeting. J.C. … [1]: /embed/graphic-1.gif