Mechanism of the Determination of the Caudal Otx Expression Bo

To understand the mechanisms governing the establishment of the midbrain-hindbrain boundary (MHB), which organizes the formation of the midbrain and hindbrain in vertebrate embryos, the molecular aspects of the developmental process were examined in zebrafish embryos. We first examined the regulation of the MHB-specific transcription of fgf8 that is specifically expressed at the MHB, suggesting that the regulatory mechanism is conserved during vertebrate evolution. We also analyzed the in vivo activities of intramolecular deletions in Gbx2, which contributes to the MHB development together with Otx2, revealing multiple functional subregions within the Gbx2 protein. Finally, the role of the FGF-FGF receptor in brain formation was analyzed using modified forms of FGF receptors, and showed the involvement of the growth factor signal in different aspects of brain formation in early embryos