Genetic analysis of a guanine nucleotide exchanging factor involved in neural tube morphogenesis

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Abnormal morphogenesis of the neural tube leads to neural tube defects including spina bifida and anencephaly. We found that a novel guanine nucleotide exchanging factor, WGEF mediates Wnt-PCP pathway, and regulates morphogenic movements of neural tube in the amphibian embryo. In this study, I attempted to generate a conditional knockout mouse of WGEF gene as a mammalian model of neural tube defects. So far, a conditional knockout allele on the WGEF locus was introduced by homologous recombination in the ES cells. Using this ES cells, chimera mice carrying WGEF conditional knockout cells have been generated.