Figure 6. Effects of Wnt11 silencing on dermomyotome.

A, C, E, G and I. Chicken embryos electroporated with Wnt11 RNAi at stage HH14-17 and after a reincubation period of 24 hours. B. The embryo in A (HH20) hybridized for En-1, shows that the central dermomyotomal compartment marked with En-1 was unaffected in the electroporated area (the space between white arrows in B). D. The photo represents the embryo in C after ISH for Sim-1 probe. The lateral dermomyotomal compartment marked with Sim-1 (white arrows in D indicate the electroporated area) did not show any change in its expression after Wnt11 silencing. F. ISH for Paraxis of the embryo presented in photo E. Paraxis transcripts seems not to be altered following Wnt11 silencing in the DML (area between white arrows in F). H. The dermomyotomal marker Pax3, in contrast, is significantly upregulated at the site of Wnt11 RNAi transfection (area between white arrows in H). K. The cross-section through the embryo in H in the manipulated area shows a strong upregulation of Pax3 in the DML, while the DM remains normal when compared to the control side. I. Electroporated embryo at stage HH14-17 with Wnt11 RNAi and after 24 hours reincubation (HH19). J. Hybridized embryo from photo I for Snail1 probe. At stage HH20 the EMT has already started, and the Snail1 expression can be seen in the myotome, dermomyotome, sclerotome and in the space above the neural tube (dermal progenitor cells). Whole-mount ISH of the embryo electroporated with Wnt11 RNAi shows a decreased Snail1 expression (the region in the bracket), while the white arrows point towards the normal expression of Snail1 above the neural tube (dermogenic progenitors) at untreated levels. L. Section through the embryo in J in the affected region shows a decreased Snail1 expression in the DML (black arrowhead) and above the neural tube (black arrow). Scale bar: 100 μm.