| First Author | Martí E | Year | 1995 |
| Journal | Nature | Volume | 375 |
| Issue | 6529 | Pages | 322-5 |
| PubMed ID | 7753196 | Mgi Jnum | J:31742 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:79229 | Doi | 10.1038/375322a0 |
| Citation | Marti E, et al. (1995) Requirement of 19K form of Sonic hedgehog for induction of distinct ventral cell types in CNS explants [see comments]. Nature 375(6529):322-5 |
| abstractText | The identity and patterning of ventral cell types in the vertebrate central nervous system depends on cell interactions. For example, induction of a specialized population of ventral midline cells, the floor plate, appears to require contact-mediated signalling by the underlying notochord, whereas diffusible signals from the notochord and floor plate can induce ventrolaterally positioned motor neurons. Sonic hedgehog (Shh), a vertebrate hedgehog-family member, is processed to generate two peptides (M(r) 19K and 26/27K) which are secreted by both of these organizing centres. Moreover, experiments in a variety of vertebrate embryos, and in neural explants in vitro, indicate that Shh can mediate floor-plate induction. Here we have applied recombinant Shh peptides to neural explants in serum-free conditions. High concentrations of Shh bound to a matrix induce floor plate and motor neurons, and addition of Shh to the medium leads to dose-dependent induction of motor neurons. All inducing activity resides in a highly conserved amino-terminal peptide (M(r) 19K). Moreover, antibodies that specifically recognize this peptide block induction of motor neurons by the notochord. We propose that Shh acts as a morphogen to induce distinct ventral cell types in the vertebrate central nervous system. |
