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Notch Is a Critical Component of the Mouse Somitogenesis Oscillator and Is Essential for the Formation of the Somites

Ferjentsik, Z; Hayashi, S; Dale, JK; Bessho, Y; Herreman, A; De Strooper, B; del Monte, G; ... Maroto, M; + view all (2009) Notch Is a Critical Component of the Mouse Somitogenesis Oscillator and Is Essential for the Formation of the Somites. PLoS Genetics , 5 (9) , Article e1000662. 10.1371/journal.pgen.1000662. Green open access

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Abstract

Segmentation of the vertebrate body axis is initiated through somitogenesis, whereby epithelial somites bud off in pairs periodically from the rostral end of the unsegmented presomitic mesoderm (PSM). The periodicity of somitogenesis is governed by a molecular oscillator that drives periodic waves of clock gene expression caudo-rostrally through the PSM with a periodicity that matches somite formation. To date the clock genes comprise components of the Notch, Wnt, and FGF pathways. The literature contains controversial reports as to the absolute role(s) of Notch signalling during the process of somite formation. Recent data in the zebrafish have suggested that the only role of Notch signalling is to synchronise clock gene oscillations across the PSM and that somite formation can continue in the absence of Notch activity. However, it is not clear in the mouse if an FGF/Wnt-based oscillator is sufficient to generate segmented structures, such as the somites, in the absence of all Notch activity. We have investigated the requirement for Notch signalling in the mouse somitogenesis clock by analysing embryos carrying a mutation in different components of the Notch pathway, such as Lunatic fringe (Lfng), Hes7, Rbpj, and presenilin1/presenilin2 (Psen1/Psen2), and by pharmacological blocking of the Notch pathway. In contrast to the fish studies, we show that mouse embryos lacking all Notch activity do not show oscillatory activity, as evidenced by the absence of waves of clock gene expression across the PSM, and they do not develop somites. We propose that, at least in the mouse embryo, Notch activity is absolutely essential for the formation of a segmented body axis.

Type: Article
Title: Notch Is a Critical Component of the Mouse Somitogenesis Oscillator and Is Essential for the Formation of the Somites
Location: United States
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1000662
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1000662
Language: English
Additional information: © 2009 Ferjentsik et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. PMCID: PMC2739441
Keywords: Animals, Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors, Biological Clocks, Body Patterning, Embryo, Mammalian, Fibroblast Growth Factors, Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental, Glycosyltransferases, Mice, Mutation, Organogenesis, Presenilin-1, Presenilin-2, Receptors, Notch, Somites, Wnt Proteins
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > UK Dementia Research Institute HQ
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1408547
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