MD is supported by the BBSRC through a BBSRC Institute Strategic Grant, MT is a Wellcome Trust Senior Fellow and NV’s studies on thalidomide were supported by The Wellcome Trust. We all thank lab members past and present for their help and support. We apologize to those whose work we have not referenced due to lack of space.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Davey, Megan

Tickle, Cheryll

Towers, Matthew

Vargesson, Neil

The International Journal of Developmental Biology

The chick embryo has a long history in investigations of vertebrate limb development because of the ease with which its limbs can be experimentally manipulated. Early studies elucidated the fundamental embryology of the limb and identified the key signalling regions that govern its development. The chick limb became a leading model for exploring the concept of positional information and understanding how patterns of differentiated cells and tissues develop in vertebrate embryos. When developmentally important molecules began to be identified, experiments in chick limbs were crucial for bridging embryology and molecular biology. The embryological mechanisms and molecular basis of limb development are largely conserved in mammals, including humans, and uncovering these molecular networks provides links to clinical genetics. We emphasise the important contributions of naturally occurring chick mutants to elucidating limb embryology and identifying novel developmentally important genes. In addition, we consider how the chick limb has been used to study mechanisms involved in teratogenesis with a focus on thalidomide. These studies on chick embryos have given insights into how limb defects can be caused by both genetic changes and chemical insults and therefore are of great medical significance

Edinburgh Research Explorer

The chick limb: embryology, genetics and teratology

Megan G. Davey

Matthew Towers

Neil Vargesson

Cheryll Tickle

Crossref

MD is supported by the BBSRC through a BBSRC Institute Strategic Grant, MT is a Wellcome Trust Senior Fellow and NV’s studies on thalidomide were supported by The Wellcome Trust. We all thank lab members past and present for their help and support. We apologize to those whose work we have not referenced due to lack of space.Peer reviewe

The chick limb: embryology, genetics and teratology

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