A prototype microfluidic platform has been developed for spatially and temporally resolved sampling of biomarkers expressed by organotypic tissue slices. The device draws liquid from the sample reservoir through discrete sampling ports into separate analysis microchannels. By monitoring the concentrations of specific biomarkers it is possible to map the concentration profiles of these molecules...

The FGF family of extracellular signaling factors has been proposed to play multiple roles in patterning the telencephalon, the precursor to the cerebrum. In this study, unlike previous ones, we effectively abolish FGF signaling in the anterior neural plate via deletion of three FGF receptor (FGFR) genes. Triple FGFR mutant mice exhibit a complete loss of the telencephalon, except the dorsal mi...

Interactions between Nodal/Activin and Fibroblast growth factor (Fgf) signalling pathways have long been thought to play an important role in mesoderm formation. However, the molecular and cellular processes underlying these interactions have remained elusive. Here, we address the epistatic relationships between Nodal and Fgf pathways during early embryogenesis in zebrafish. First, we find that...

Natural variations in sensory systems constitute adaptive responses to the environment. Here, we compared sensory placode development in the blind cave-adapted morph and the eyed river-dwelling morph of Astyanax mexicanus Focusing on the lens and olfactory placodes, we found a trade-off between these two sensory components in the two morphs: from neural plate stage onwards, cavefish have larger...

The telencephalon is formed in the most anterior part of the central nervous system (CNS) and is organised into ventral subpallial and dorsal pallial domains. In mice, it has been demonstrated that Fgf signalling has an important role in induction and patterning of the telencephalon. However, the precise role of Fgf signalling is still unclear, owing to overlapping functions of Fgf family genes...

The cortical hem, a source of Wingless-related (WNT) and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling in the dorsomedial telencephalon, is the embryonic organizer for the hippocampus. Whether the hem is a major regulator of cortical patterning outside the hippocampus has not been investigated. We examined regional organization across the entire cerebral cortex in mice genetically engineered to la...

The liver plays important roles in multiple processes including metabolism, the immune system, and detoxification and also has a unique capacity for regeneration. FGFs are growth factors that have diverse functions in development, health, and disease. The FGF family now comprises 22 members. Several FGFs have been shown to play roles as paracrine signals in liver development, health, and diseas...

Retinoic acid (RA) synthesized by Raldh3 in the frontonasal surface ectoderm of chick embryos has been suggested to function in early forebrain patterning by regulating Fgf8, Shh, and Meis2 expression. Similar expression of Raldh3 exists in E8.75 mouse embryos, but Raldh2 is also expressed in the optic vesicle at this stage suggesting that both genes may play a role in early forebrain patternin...