Abstract
The process of segmentation, in which repeated homologous structures are generated along the anterior–posterior axis of the embryo is a widespread mechanism in animal development. In vertebrates, segmentation is most apparent in the somites and the peripheral nervous system1,2, but the existence of repetitive bulges, termed neuromeres, in the early neural epithelium of vertebrates suggests that the CNS may also be segmented3–9. Consistent with this, cranial ganglia8 and certain neurons8,10 are associated with specific hindbrain neuromeres. Here, we report that Krox-20 a zinc-finger gene, is expressed in two alternate neuromeres in the mouse early hindbrain. This pattern subsequently decays and Krox-20 is transiently expressed in specific hindbrain nuclei. In addition, Krox-20 is expressed in early neural crest cells, and then in the neural crest-derived boundary caps, glial components of the cranial and spinal ganglia. The demonstration that neuromeres are domains of gene expression provides molecular evidence for the segmentation of the CNS.
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Wilkinson, D., Bhatt, S., Chavrier, P. et al. Segment-specific expression of a zinc-finger gene in the developing nervous system of the mouse. Nature 337, 461–464 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1038/337461a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/337461a0
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