First published online April 27, 2005
Development 132, 1001e (2005)
© The Company of Biologists Limited
A late tail of Bmp signalling
The Bmp signalling pathway is required for proper tissue patterning and
formation during embryogenesis, but because it is essential for early
development, it has been very difficult to investigate its specific functions
at later stages. To circumvent this problem, Pyati et al. (see p.
2333) generated
transgenic zebrafish containing an inducible dominant-negative Bmp receptor
with which they inactivated Bmp signalling at selected time points in
development. Their results show that during early gastrulation, Bmp signalling
is important for tail organizer formation and for patterning the ventral
mesoderm. However, from mid-gastrulation to early somitogenesis, the role of
Bmp signalling changes – at these stages, Bmp signalling promotes
ventral fin formation and, unexpectedly, prevents additional tails from
forming. These findings thus reveal a specific late requirement for Bmp
signalling during tail patterning, and highlight the dynamic temporal roles
that this pathway plays during development.
Related articles in Development:
- Transgenic zebrafish reveal stage-specific roles for Bmp signaling in ventral and posterior mesoderm development
- Ujwal J. Pyati, Ashley E. Webb, and David Kimelman
Development 2005 132: 2333-2343.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
