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A homeobox gene essential for zebrafish notochord development

Nature volume 378, pages 150–157 (1995)Cite this article

Abstract

The notochord is a midline mesodermal structure with an essential patterning function in all vertebrate embryos. Zebrafish floating head (flh) mutants lack a notochord, but develop with prechordal plate and other mesodermal derivatives, indicating that flh functions specifically in notochord development. We show that floating head is the zebrafish homologue of Xnot, a homeobox gene expressed in the amphibian organizer and notochord. We propose that flh regulates notochord precursor cell fate.

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Author notes

  1. Bill Trevarrow

    Present address: Division of Biology 139-74, Caltech, Pasadena, California, 91125, USA

  2. Marnie E. Halpern

    Present address: Department of Embryology, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 115 West University Parkway, Baltimore, Maryland, 21210, USA

  3. David Kimelman: To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, 97403, USA

    William S. Talbot, Marnie E. Halpern, Anna E. Melby, John H. Postlethwait & Charles B. Kimmel

  2. Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, UK

    Bill Trevarrow & Trevor Jowett

  3. Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Box 357350, Seattle, Washington, 98195-7350, USA

    Gist Farr & David Kimelman

Authors
  1. William S. Talbot
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  8. Charles B. Kimmel
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Talbot, W., Trevarrow, B., Halpern, M. et al. A homeobox gene essential for zebrafish notochord development. Nature 378, 150–157 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1038/378150a0

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