Genetic correlation of human neural tube defects (NTDs) with NTD genes identified in mouse may unravel predisposing complex traits for assessment of individual risk and treatment in clinical settings. Folic acid (FA) can reduce the recurrence of NTDs in human populations by as much as 50-70%, though the mechanism of this rescue is unknown. We examined whether Crooked tail ( Cd ), a mouse strain...

Mice lacking both c-Jun-NH(2)-terminal kinases (JNK1 and JNK2) were generated to define their roles in development. Jnk1/jnk2 double mutant fetuses die around embryonic day 11 (E11) and were found to display an open neural tube (exencephaly) at the hindbrain level with reduced apoptosis in the hindbrain neuroepithelium at E9.25. In contrast, a dramatic increase in cell death was observed one da...

Deletion of the transcriptional modulator Cited2 in the mouse results in embryonic lethality, cardiovascular malformations, adrenal agenesis, cranial ganglia fusion, exencephaly, and left-right patterning defects, all seen with a varying degree of penetrance. The phenotypic heterogeneity, observed on different genetic backgrounds, indicates the existence of both genetic and environmental modifi...

Many cells die during development, tissue homeostasis, and disease. Dysregulation of apoptosis leads to cranial neural tube closure (NTC) defects like exencephaly, although the mechanism is unclear. Observing cells undergoing apoptosis in a living context could help elucidate their origin, behavior, and influence on surrounding tissues, but few tools are available for this purpose, especially i...

F52 is a myristoylated, alanine-rich substrate for protein kinase C. We have generated F52-deficient mice by the gene targeting technique. These mutant mice manifest severe neural tube defects that are not associated with other complex malformations, a phenotype reminiscent of common human neural tube defects. The neural tube defects observed include both exencephaly and spina bifida, and the p...