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First published online December 1, 2003
doi: 10.1242/10.1242/dev.00956


Development 130, 6401-6410 (2003)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2003


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Finger or toe: the molecular basis of limb identity

Malcolm Logan

Division of Developmental Biology, National Institute for Medical Research, London, NW7 1AA, UK e-mail: mlogan{at}nimr.mrc.ac.uk



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Fig. 1. (A) Representation of the prospective limb territories in a stage 15 chick embryo. The forelimbs and hindlimbs are derived from discrete regions of the lateral plate mesoderm (LPM). Tbx5 (purple) is expressed in the prospective forelimb, whereas Tbx4 (green) is expressed in the prospective hindlimb. At these stages, Pitx1 (orange) is expressed in a caudal domain that overlaps with Tbx4. The somites (brown) are numbered, and serve as a reference for the axial position of the forelimb and hindlimb fields. (B) Representations of the three primary axes of the developing limb and the equivalent structures of the mature human limb that ultimately form. (Top) The apical ectodermal ridge (AER; shown in red) runs along the distal extent of the limb and is crucial for patterning the proximodistal axis. Cells of the zone of polarizing activity (ZPA; shown in yellow) in the posterior of the limb are important in patterning the anteroposterior axis of the limb. (Bottom) The AER bisects the dorsal and ventral ectoderm.

 


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Fig. 2. (A) Tbx5 is expressed in the developing forelimb and not the developing hindlimb. (B,C) Tbx4 (B) and Pitx1 (C) are expressed in the developing hindlimb and not the forelimb. Each panel shows whole-mount in situ hybridization on stage 29 chick embryos. Reproduced from Logan et al. (Logan et al., 1998Go).

 


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Fig. 3. Representation of the signals required for forelimb initiation and subsequent limb outgrowth in the mouse. Axial cues from the intermediate mesoderm (IM) induce the expression of Tbx5 in the cells of the lateral plate mesoderm (LPM) that will give rise to the forelimb (purple). Tbx5 activates Fgf10, which in turn signals to the ectoderm to induce Fgf8 in cells of the ectoderm (Ect) that will form the apical ectodermal ridge (AER; shown in red) (Agarwal et al., 2003Go). A feedback loop is established as Fgf8 in the ectoderm positively regulates Fgf10 in the limb mesenchyme. Establishment of the Fgf10-Fgf8 positive-feedback loop is mediated by Wnt signalling in the ectoderm, although this is not shown in the figure. Wnt signalling is required for the initial induction of Fgf8 in the ectoderm by Fgf10 and for the maintenance of Fgf8 expression in the AER (Barrow et al., 2003Go; Galceran et al., 1999Go). Tbx5 is expressed throughout the limb bud and is required for the maintenance of limb outgrowth (Agarwal et al., 2003Go; Rallis et al., 2003Go).

 

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© The Company of Biologists Ltd 2003