| First Author | Shumacher A | Year | 1996 |
| Journal | Nature | Volume | 383 |
| Issue | 6597 | Pages | 250-3 |
| PubMed ID | 8805699 | Mgi Jnum | J:35419 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:82868 | Doi | 10.1038/383250a0 |
| Citation | Schumacher A, et al. (1996) Positional cloning of a global regulator of anterior-posterior patterning in mice. Nature 383(6597):250-3 |
| abstractText | ANTERIOR-POSTERIOR (A-P) patterning is of fundamental importance throughout vertebrate embryonic development. Murine members of the trithorax (trx) and Polycomb group (Pc-G) of genes regulate A-P patterning of segmented axial structures(1-4), demonstrating conserved upstream regulation of homeotic pathways between Drosophila and mouse. Here we report the positional cloning of a classical mouse mutation, eed (for embryonic ectoderm development), which is the highly conserved homologue of the Drosophila Pc-G gene esc (for extra sex combs), a long- term repressor of homeotic genes(5). Mutants homozygous for a null allele of eed display disrupted A-P patterning of the primitive streak during gastrulation. Mutant embryos lack a node, notochord and somites, and there is no neural induction(6). In contrast to absence of anterior structures, extra-embryonic mesoderm is abundant. Mice carrying a hypomorphic eed mutation exhibit posterior transformations along the axial skeleton. These results indicate that eed is required globally for A-P patterning throughout embryogenesis. |
