Anterior and posterior regions of the embryo are defined at early stages in development. In vertebrates, this is achieved, in part, by the posteriorising influence of secreted growth factors that are members of the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) and Wnt families of proteins. The photograph illustrates a gastrulation stage chick embryo showing anteriorly-restricted expression of Shisa2 mRNA. Shisa proteins prevent the maturation and transport to the cell surface of receptors for both FGFs and Wnts. It is proposed that this mechanism serves to maintain anterior identity by rendering cells in that region unresponsive to the influence of these posteriorising signals. For further details, see the article by Hedge and Mason, pp. 81-85, in this issue.
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Int. J. Dev. Biol. (2008) 52: 1-2
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Int. J. Dev. Biol. (2008) 52: 71-79
Expression of Shisa2, a modulator of both Wnt and Fgf signaling, in the chick embryo
Int. J. Dev. Biol. (2008) 52: 81-85
Stromal-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) expression during early chick development
Int. J. Dev. Biol. (2008) 52: 87-92
