Medical Anatomy Commons^™

Mechanism Of Lmx1b-Regulated Limb Dorsalization, Jennifer Feenstra

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Lmx1b, a LIM homeodomain transcription factor is necessary for limb, kidney, eye, and central nervous system development. Lmx1b knockout (KO) mice display; abnormal limb dorsalization with distal ventral-ventral limbs, nephropathy, ocular malformations, loss of dopaminergic/serotonergic neurons, and reduced cerebellum and tectum formation. The developmental mechanisms utilized by Lmx1b remain largely unknown; to investigate downstream targets, we have used the limb as a model because of its accessibility and striking Lmx1b KO phenotype. To identify candidate genes, we compared gene arrays from Lmx1b KO and wildtype mouse limbs during limb dorsalization, i.e., 11.5, 12.5, and 13.5 days post coitum. We identified …