Transcriptional enhancers are the primary determinants of tissue-specific gene expression.
Although the majority of our current knowledge of enhancer elements comes from detailed …

The limb is a commonly used model system for developmental biology. Given the need for
precise control of complex signalling pathways to achieve proper patterning, the limb is also …

The formation of repetitive structures (such as stripes) in nature is often consistent with a
reaction-diffusion mechanism, or Turing model, of self-organizing systems. We used mouse …

The molecular analysis of limb bud development in vertebrates continues to fuel our
understanding of the gene regulatory networks that orchestrate the patterning, proliferation …

During development, expression of the Hoxa and Hoxd genes in zebrafish fins and mouse
limbs are regulated via a conserved chromatin structure. However, zebrafish lack certain …

There is no obvious morphological counterpart of the autopod (wrist/ankle and digits) in
living fishes. Comparative molecular data may provide insight into understanding both the …

Despite their evolutionary, developmental and functional importance, the origin of vertebrate
paired appendages remains uncertain. In mice, a single enhancer termed ZRS is solely …

A Turing mechanism implemented by BMP, SOX9 and WNT has been proposed to control
mouse digit patterning. However, its generality and contribution to the morphological …

Coelacanths are known as “living fossils,” as they show remarkable morphological
resemblance to the fossil record and belong to the most primitive lineage of living …

Hox genes are critical regulators of embryonic development in bilaterian animals. They
exhibit a unique mode of transcriptional regulation where the position of the genes along the …