Dept. of Embryology, Carnegie Institution of The Mammalian Musculoskeletal Development in the Post-Genomic Era-From a Biologist's Point of View Washington; Dept. of Biology, Johns Hopkins Univ., USA

Abstract

The fundamental structure, form and function of the mammalian musculoskeletal system are laid down during embryonic development. The entire musculoskeletal system derives from a common embryonic precursor called the "somite". Naive somites receive "inductive" signals from adjacent tissues in order to further develop into vertebra, rib, muscle, and dermis. Using mouse as a system, my laboratory has been studying these inductive events. Combining various experimental approaches, we have identified many somite inductive signals such as SHH, WNT, FGF, and BMP. However, their reception and their downstream mediator genes are poorly understood. Taking advantage of the genome sequence and the microarray technology, we have identified many novel downstream mediator genes of these inductive signals. Ultimately, we aim to understand how these genes are coordinately regulated and function together to build the bone, muscle and dermis. Besides our research, I will discuss the difficulties that we have encountered and the tools that we need to face the challenge of the genome.