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Primary neurogenesis in Xenopus embryos regulated by a homologue of the Drosophila neurogenic gene Delta

Nature volume 375, pages 761–766 (1995)Cite this article

Abstract

X-Delta-1, a Xenopus homologue of the Drosophila Delta gene, is expressed in the early embryonic nervous system in scattered cells that appear to be the prospective primary neurons. Ectopic X-Delta-1 activity inhibitsproduction of primary neurons and interference with endogenous X-Delta-1 activity results in overproduction of primary neurons. These results indicate that the X-Delta-1 protein mediates lateral inhibition delivered by prospective neurons to adjacent cells, and that commitment to a neural fate in vertebrates is regulated by Delta-Notch signalling as in Drosophila.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, PO Box 85800, San Diego, California, 92186, USA

    Ajay Chitnis & Chris Kintner

  2. Developmental Genetics and Organogenesis Laboratories, ICRF Developmental Biology Unit, Zoology Department, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, 0X1 3PS, UK

    Domingos Henrique, Julian Lewis, David Ish-Horowicz & Chris Kintner

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  1. Ajay Chitnis
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  2. Domingos Henrique
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  3. Julian Lewis
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  4. David Ish-Horowicz
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  5. Chris Kintner
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Chitnis, A., Henrique, D., Lewis, J. et al. Primary neurogenesis in Xenopus embryos regulated by a homologue of the Drosophila neurogenic gene Delta. Nature 375, 761–766 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1038/375761a0

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