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. 2011 Mar 15;9(3):e1001028. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1001028

Figure 2. Naked neck skin displays elevated BMP signaling.

Figure 2

(A) Application of recombinant BMP12 to cultured skin for 15 h leads to elevation of SOSTDC1 expression, determined by quantitative RT-PCR. (B–E) Detection of SOSTDC1 expression by in situ hybridization. (B) At E7.5 wild type embryos have two rows of feather placodes running up the neck. SOSTDC1 is expressed at the periphery of the placodes and is not detected in the medial region between the lateral rows of placodes. (C) By E8.5 the medial region of the neck is populated by feather placodes. (D) E7.5 Na/Na embryos have placodes on the dorsum, but widespread SOSTDC1 expression on the neck, including the medial region. (E) At E8.5 the Naked neck skin maintains a high level of widespread SOSTDC1 expression, with peri-placode expression visible on the body. (F) Ex vivo rescue of the Naked neck phenotype by suppression of BMP signaling. E7.0 Na/Na skin was cultured in the presence of dorsomorphin (DM, used at 8 µM) and SB203580 (SB, used at 5 µM), pharmacological inhibitors of BMP signal transduction, for 48 h. This permitted feather development across most of the mutant neck skin.