The vertebrate homeodomain transcription factors Cdx1, Cdx2 and Cdx4 play essential roles in anteroposterior vertebral patterning through the regulation of Hox gene expression. Cdx2 might also be involved in axial elongation, but the early lethality of Cdx2-null mice has precluded a full examination of this potential role. Now, by using the Cre-loxP system to generate a conditional Cdx2 allele, Joanne Savory and co-workers provide new insights into how Cdx2 regulates posterior development in mice (see p. 4099). First, they show that the loss of Cdx2 in post-implantation embryos results in axial truncation. Then, they show that this phenotype is associated with the reduced expression of genes encoding several key players in axial elongation. Finally, they use chromatin immunoprecipitation to show that three of these genes (T, Wnt3a and Cyp26a1) are direct Cdx2 targets. Based on these results, the researchers propose a model for posterior embryonic development in mice in which Cdx2 coordinates axial elongation and somite patterning through Hox-independent and Hox-dependent pathways, respectively.
Telling tails of Cdx2 function
Telling tails of Cdx2 function. Development 15 December 2009; 136 (24): e2405. doi:
Download citation file:
Advertisement
Cited by
Biologists @ 100 - join us in Liverpool in March 2025

We are excited to invite you to a unique scientific conference, celebrating the 100-year anniversary of The Company of Biologists, and bringing together our different communities. The conference will incorporate the Spring Meetings of the BSCB and the BSDB, the JEB Symposium Sensory Perception in a Changing World and a DMM programme on antimicrobial resistance. Find out more and register by 28 February 2025 to join us in March 2025 in Liverpool, UK.
Call for papers – Lifelong Development: the Maintenance, Regeneration and Plasticity of Tissues

Development invites you to submit your latest research to our upcoming special issue – Lifelong Development: the Maintenance, Regeneration and Plasticity of Tissues. This issue will be coordinated by Guest Editors Meritxell Huch (Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Germany) and Mansi Srivastava (Harvard University and Museum of Comparative Zoology, USA), working alongside our team of academic Editors. Submit your articles by 15 May 2025.
A case for broadening our view of mechanism in developmental biology

In this Perspective, B. Duygu Özpolat and colleagues survey researchers on their views on what it takes to infer mechanism in developmental biology. They examine what factors shape our idea of what we mean by ‘mechanism’ and suggest a path forward that embraces a broad outlook on the diversity of studies that advance knowledge in our field.
In preprints
Did you know that Development publishes perspectives on recent preprints? These articles help our readers navigate the ever-growing preprint literature. We welcome proposals for ‘In preprints’ articles, so please do get in touch if you’d like to contribute.