Transcriptional regulation of zebrafsh forebrain patterning

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Regional cell identity in the early vertebrate embryo is created, in part, by a series of organizers, which secrete signaling molecules and specify the identity of surrounding cells. The prechordal plate is the anterior-most axial mesoderm and is a critical organizer that underlies the forebrain and specifies ventral midline identity. Embryos that lack a prechordal plate do not express markers of ventral forebrain identity or separate left and right cerebral hemispheres. The effects of this are profound, including failure of retinal cell migration, leading to the formation of a single cyclopic eye. Animal model studies have identified two signaling pathways - Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) and Retinoic Acid (RA) - that are critically important for specification and function of the prechordal plate.