Morphogens act in developing tissues to control the spatial arrangement of cellular differentiation. The activity of a morphogen has generally been viewed as a concentration-dependent response to a diffusible signal, but the duration of morphogen signalling can also affect cellular responses. One such example is the morphogen sonic hedgehog (SHH). In the vertebrate central nervous system and limbs, the pattern of cellular differentiation is controlled by both the amount and the time of SHH exposure. How these two parameters are interpreted at a cellular level has been unclear. Here we provide evidence that changing the concentration or duration of SHH has an equivalent effect on intracellular signalling. Chick neural cells convert different concentrations of SHH into time-limited periods of signal transduction, such that signal duration is proportional to SHH concentration. This depends on the gradual desensitization of cells to ongoing SHH exposure, mediated by the SHH-dependent upregulation of patched 1 (PTC1), a ligand-binding inhibitor of SHH signalling. Thus, in addition to its role in shaping the SHH gradient, PTC1 participates cell autonomously in gradient sensing. Together, the data reveal a novel strategy for morphogen interpretation, in which the temporal adaptation of cells to a morphogen integrates the concentration and duration of a signal to control differential gene expression.

Trunk neural crest cells are generated at the border between the neural plate and nonneural ectoderm, where they initiate a distinct program of gene expression, undergo an epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and delaminate from the neuroepithelium. Here, we provide evidence that members of three families of transcription induce these properties in premigratory neural crest cells. Sox9 acts to provide the competence for neural crest cells to undergo an EMT and is required for trunk neural crest survival. In the absence of Sox9, cells apoptose prior to or shortly after delamination. Slug/Snail, in the presence of Sox9, is sufficient to induce an EMT in neural epithelial cells, while FoxD3 regulates the expression of cell-cell adhesion molecules required for neural crest migration. Together, the data suggest a model in which a combination of transcription factors regulates the acquisition of the diverse properties of neural crest cells.

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There is a growing interest in the mechanisms that control the apoptosis cascade during development and adult life. To investigate the regulatory events that trigger apoptosis in whole tissues, we have devised a genetically encoded caspase sensor that can be detected in live and fixed tissue by standard confocal microscopy. The sensor comprises two fluorophores, mRFP, monomeric red fluorescent protein (mRFP) and enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP), that are linked by an efficient and specific caspasesensitive site. Upon caspase activation, the sensor is cleaved and eGFP translocates to the nucleus, leaving mRFP at membranes. This is detected before other markers of apoptosis, including anticleaved caspase 3 immunoreactivity. Moreover, the sensor does not perturb normal developmental apoptosis and is specific, as cleavage does not occur in Drosophila embryos that are unable to activate the apoptotic cascade. Importantly, dying cells can be recognized in live embryos, thus opening the way for in vivo imaging. As expected from the high conservation of caspases, it is also cleaved in dying cells of chick embryos. It is therefore likely to be generally useful to track the spatiotemporal pattern of caspase activity in a variety of species.apoptosis ͉ Drosophila ͉ embryos ͉ Apoliner ''Rien n'est mort que ce qui n'existe pas encore.'' Guillaume Apollinaire, Alcools (1913)

Sonic hedgehog signalling is essential for the embryonic development of many tissues including the central nervous system, where it controls the pattern of cellular differentiation. A genome-wide screen of neural progenitor cells to evaluate the Shh signalling-regulated transcriptome identified the forkhead transcription factor Foxj1. In both chick and mouse Foxj1 is expressed in the ventral midline of the neural tube in cells that make up the floor plate. Consistent with the role of Foxj1 in the formation of long motile cilia, floor plate cells produce cilia that are longer than the primary cilia found elsewhere in the neural tube, and forced expression of Foxj1 in neuroepithelial cells is sufficient to increase cilia length. In addition, the expression of Foxj1 in the neural tube and in an Shh-responsive cell line attenuates intracellular signalling by decreasing the activity of Gli proteins, the transcriptional mediators of Shh signalling. We show that this function of Foxj1 depends on cilia. Nevertheless, floor plate identity and ciliogenesis are unaffected in mouse embryos lacking Foxj1 and we provide evidence that additional transcription factors expressed in the floor plate share overlapping functions with Foxj1. Together, these findings identify a novel mechanism that modifies the cellular response to Shh signalling and reveal morphological and functional features of the amniote floor plate that distinguish these cells from the rest of the neuroepithelium.