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25 years of the segmentation clock gene

The discovery of a gene that mediates periodic segmentation of the developing backbone of vertebrate embryos opened up research into how the pace of development is controlled by a molecular clock that has a species-specific rhythm.
  1. Ryoichiro Kageyama

    1. Ryoichiro Kageyama is in the RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako 351-0198, Japan.

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It is a wonder to observe embryos developing autonomously under a seemingly predetermined schedule. Particularly striking is the developmental process by which structures called somites (which will differentiate into segmental body structures such as vertebrae, ribs and skeletal muscles) increase in number in a periodic manner. Twenty-five years ago, writing in Cell, Palmeirim et al.1 reported the first molecular evidence of a gene linked to the periodicity of somite formation. The discovery paved the way to our understanding of the developmental clock — a network of genes whose expression oscillates synchronously and thereby regulates the timing of developmental events.

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Nature 611, 671-673 (2022)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-03562-2

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Competing Interests

The author declares no competing interests.

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