The perfect tempo within the cells to develop vertebrae
Wednesday, January 8, 2020 - 13:20
in Biology & Nature
Timing is everything when it comes to the embryonic development of pre-vertebrae divisions along the body of an embryo, according to researchers in Japan. A new live-imaging technique in mouse cells suggests a specific clock gene, Hes7, oscillates at a time delay to give rise to the vertebrae, spinal column and occipital bone in vertebrates. The research, published in the journal Nature, sheds light on how cells' internal communication is controlled and timed in normal development, and which compounds are involved.