Pax7 is essential for the neural crest inducing activity of the paraxial mesoderm, while Pax3 acts in the ectoderm. (A) We have recombined the stage 9 blastocoel roof ectoderm to stage 10.25 prospective paraxial mesoderm (dorsal–lateral marginal zone), a classical assay for neural crest induction in the ectoderm. Ectoderm and DLMZ were dissected from either control uninjected or Pax3 or Pax7 morphants (see color code). Ectoderm (B) or DLMZ (C) grown alone until stage 18 do not express snail2, while the recombined explants (D) do. When the DLMZ comes from Pax7 morphant (E), snail2 induction is strongly impeded, while Pax3 depleted DLMZ do not perturb snail2 induction (F). RT-PCR analysis (G) further shows that ectoderm alone (lane 3) does not express snail2, myoD or muscle actin (MA), DLMZ alone expresses only myoD and MA (lane 4) while the recombinant expresses both (lane 5). Snail2 induction is impaired if the ectoderm is depleted for Pax3 (lane 6) but not for Pax7 (lane 7). In contrast, snail2 induction is normal if DLMZ comes from Pax3 morphants (lane 8) but is impaired for Pax7 depleted DLMZ (lane 9). In both Pax3- and Pax7-depleted DLMZ, myoD and MA expression are decreased while vent1 is abnormally upregulated.