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XB-ART-21566
Cell 1994 Feb 25;764:761-75.
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Floor plate and motor neuron induction by vhh-1, a vertebrate homolog of hedgehog expressed by the notochord.

Roelink H , Augsburger A , Heemskerk J , Korzh V , Norlin S , Ruiz i Altaba A , Tanabe Y , Placzek M , Edlund T , Jessell TM .


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The differentiation of distinct cell types in the ventral neural tube depends on local inductive signals from the notochord. We have isolated a vertebrate homolog of the Drosophila segment polarity gene hedgehog (hh) from zebrafish and rat, termed vhh-1. vhh-1 is expressed in the node, notochord, floor plate, and posterior limb bud mesenchyme. Each of these cell groups has floor plate inducing activity, suggesting that the vhh-1 gene may encode a floor plate-inducing molecule. Widespread expression of rat vhh-1 in frog embryos leads to ectopic floor plate differentiation in the neural tube. In vitro tests for the signaling functions of vhh-1 demonstrate that COS cells expressing the rat vhh-1 gene induce floor plate and motor neuron differentiation in neural plate explants. vhh-1 may, therefore, contribute to the floor plate and motor neuron inducing activities of the notochord.

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Species referenced: Xenopus laevis
Genes referenced: foxa2 shh spon1


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