The establishment of a segmental pattern within the vertebrate body plan is achieved during embryogenesis by the somitogenesis process. Two molecular systems have been implicated in this phenomenon: a molecular clock linked to vertebrate segmentation and the Notch signalling pathway. Rhythmic expression of the Lunatic Fringe gene in the presomitic mesoderm has now provided a link between these two systems.
Laboratoire de Génétique et de Physiologie du Développement (LGPD) CNRS-INSERM-Université de la Méditerranée - AP de Marseille Campus de Luminy, Case 907, 13288, Marseille,France. pourquie@ibdm.univ-mrs.fr
