Microscopy images showing that transient mesodermal Alx1 expression is essential for extraocular muscle (EOM) myogenesis. Top panels illustrate the transient window of ALX1 expression (magenta) in GFP+ cranial mesoderm at E8.5 (left), followed by its shift to neural crest lineage cells by E9.5 (right). Bottom panels demonstrate that mesoderm-specific Alx1 inactivation leads to the total loss of all seven EOMs (right) by E16.5, compared to the organized EOMs in controls (left; muscle actin is shown in magenta).
This new article from Paul Iyyanar, Nirpesh Adhikari, Yu Lan & Rulang Jiang shows that ALX1 is a crucial transcription factor acting upstream of the gene regulatory network that controls cranial mesoderm patterning and craniofacial #muscledevelopment
doi.org/10.1242/dmm....