During the first stage of embryonic development, the hindbrain, also called the rhombencephalon of superior organisms is temporarily organized in segments along the anteroposterior axis. These segments are called rhombomeres. This a spatial regionalization process that will lead to the creation of the Central Nervous System, which gradually acquires its final complexity.

A study by researchers Ferran Aragon and Cristina Pujades, a PhD Student and lead researcher respectively in the Developmental Biology research group at CEXS-UPF, has identified the ERK/MAPK intracellular pathway as the only way used by FGF factors to organize spatial regionalization in the rhombencephalon. The study was published recently in BMC Developmental Biology.

The final destination of the SNC cells depends on their position along the anteroposterior axis.These cells therefore create different kinds of neurones depending on the spatial coordinates that they receive. As a result, this procedure is finely regulated during early embryonic development.

This enables the hindbrain to be subdivided into smaller areas along the anteroposterior axis (AP) which control the expression of specific genes in the back area of the brain, such as Krox20 and MafB, which also play a crucial role in this procedure.

The molecular mechanisms involved in the development of the central nervous system are a specific research area in the Research Group on developmental biology, where Cristina Pujadas works as a lead researcher. Her team comprises five researchers, three postdoctoral researchers and two Phd Students, and has obtained funding from various competitive programmes of the Generalitat (government) of Catalonia and from the Ministry of Science and Innovation.

Reference Work:

Aragón, F. and Pujades, C. " FGF signaling controls caudal hindbrain specification through Ras-ERK1/2 pathway ", BMC Dev. Biol, 2009.