Laboratory for Vertebrate Axis Formation
Research Areas
| Establishment of the body axes, dorso-ventral and anterior-posterior axes, is a fundamental process that generate diversity of cells and that is required for formation and patterning of various tissues. In amphibian and teleost embryogenesis, studies have shown that the program initiating the formation of the body axes begins soon after fertilization. In these species, the dorsal determinants are believed to be initially localized to the vegetal pole of the yolk, and then transported to the dorsal side of the embryos. The molecular nature of the dorsal determinants has not been elucidated, although they are known to activate intracellular signal(s) leading to the expression of dorsal-specific genes, which are required for formation of the dorsal organizer. Signals from the organizer, interacting with other signals, further define the body axes and pattern the embryos. Our team is aimed at resolving the molecular mechanisms by which the body axes are established and by which cells adopt their fates at the appropriate position in the body axes. |  Team Leader Masahiko HIBI (M.D., Ph.D.)  |
Research Subjects
| (1) | Elucidation of the mechanisms of dorsal organizer formation and dorsal-organizer-mediated axis formation |
| (2) | Elucidation of the mechanisms of neural patterning and neurogenesis |
List of Selected Publications
| (1) | Shimizu, T., Bae, YK., and Hibi, M.: "Cdx-Hox code controls comptence for responding to Fgfs and retinoic acids in zebrafish neural tissue." Development 133, 4709-4719 (2006) |
| (2) | Hirata, T., Nakazawa, M., Muraoka, O., Nakayama, R., Suda, Y., and Hibi, M.: "Zinc-finger genes Fez and Fez-like function in the establishment of diencephalon subdivisions." Development 133, 3993-4004 (2006) |
| (3) | Muraoka, O., Shimizu, T, Yabe, T., Nojima, H., Bae, YK., Hashimoto, H., and Hibi, M.: "Sizzled controls dorso-ventral polarity by repressing cleavage of the Chordin protein." Nat. Cell. Biol. 8, 329-340 (2006) |
| (4) | Hirata, T., Nakazawa, M., Yoshihara, S., Miyachi, H., Kitamura, K., Yoshihara, Y., and Hibi, M.: "Zinc-finger gene Fez in the olfactory neurons regulates development of the olfactory bulb non-cell-autonomously." Development 133, 1433-1443 (2006) |
| (5) | Molyneaux, BJ., Arlotta, P., Hirata, T., Hibi, M., and Macklis, JD.: "Fezl is required for the birth and specification of corticospinal motor neurons." Neuron 47, 817-831(2005) |
| (6) | Bae, YK., Shimizu, T., and Hibi, M.: "Patterning of proneuronal and inter-proneuronal domains by hairy- and enhancer of split-related genes in zebrafish neuroectoderm." Development, 132, 1375-1385 (2005). |
| (7) | Shimizu, T., Bae, YK., Muraoka, O., and Hibi, M.: "Interaction of Wnt and caudal-related genes in zebrafish posterior body formation." Dev. Biol. 122, 747-763 (2005). |
| (8) | Hashimoto, H., Rebagliati, M., Ahmad, N., Muroka, O., Kurokawa, T., Hibi, M., Suzuki, T. (corresponding author): "The Cerberus/Dan-family protein Charon is a negative regulator of Nodal signaling during left-right patterning in zebrafish." Development, 131, 1741-1753 (2004). |
| (9) | Yabe, T., Shimizu, T., Muraoka, O., Bae, YK., Hirata, T., Nojima, H., Kawakami, A., Hirano, T., Hibi, M.: "Ogon/Secreted Frizzled functions as a negative feedback regulator for BMP signaling." Development, 130, 2705-2716 (2003). |
| (10) | Bae, YK., Shimizu, T., Yabe, T., Kim, CH, Hirata, T., Nojima, H., Muraoka, O., Hirano, T., and Hibi, M.: "A homeobox gene, pnx, is involved in the formation of posterior neurons in zebrafish." Development, 130, 1853-1865 (2003). |