The Molecular Basis of Limb Patterning: A Review

Abstract

Ten years ago research into limb development and regeneration had produced a wealth of material describing interesting biological phenomena. These included the identification of signalling and responding regions, descriptions of the pattern of changes of cell differentiation and cell division and the ability to manipulate the embryo so as to modify these patterns almost at will. The intellectual force behind much of the research lay in a wealth of theoretical papers discussing possible mechanisms. These in turn stimulated new waves of experiments. What the system lacked was any clear evidence supporting a particular molecular mechanism. However within a very few years the situation has been transformed with the appearance of three distinct lines of enquiry that have converged to produce a key that may unlock the secrets of development.