Isthmic organizer

The isthmic organizer, or isthmus organizer, also known as the midbrain−hindbrain boundary (MHB), is a secondary organizer region that develops at the junction of the midbrain and metencephalon (embryonic hindbrain).[1] The MHB expresses signaling molecules that regulate the differentiation and patterning of the adjacent neuroepithelium. This allows for the development of the midbrain and hindbrain as well as the specification of neuronal subtypes in these regions.[2] The fact that the MHB is sufficient for the development of the mid and hindbrain was shown in an experiment where quail MHB cells transplanted into the forebrain of a chick were able to induce an ectopic midbrain and cerebellum.[3]

  1. ^ Nakamura, H; Watanabe, Y (2005). "Isthmus organizer and regionalization of the mesencephalon and metencephalon". The International Journal of Developmental Biology. 49 (2–3): 231–5. doi:10.1387/ijdb.041964hn. PMID 15906236.
  2. ^ Siegelbaum, Steven A., and A. James Hudspeth. Principles of neural science. Eds. Eric R. Kandel, James H. Schwartz, and Thomas M. Jessell. Vol. 5. New York: McGraw-hill, 2013. [pages needed]
  3. ^ Sanes, D; Reh, T; Harris, W (2012). "Chapter 2: Polarity and segmentation". Development of the nervous system (3rd ed.). Burlington, MA: Academic Press. pp. 23–48. ISBN 9780080923208.