Anterior shift in gene expression precedes anteriormost digit formation in amniote limbs.

In tetrapod limbs, an anteriormost digit has common traits of small, short and less-phalange morphology. In this study, we focused on three genes, Mkp3, Sef and Tsukushi (TSK), which have anterior-specific or anterior-prominent expression patterns in the developing limb bud at the autopod-forming stage. The anterior expression is not fixed in the period of limb development, but the expression domains of Mkp3, Sef and TSK change considerably from the distal domain to the anterior domain.

Normal developmental stages of the Madagascar ground gecko Paroedura pictus with special reference to limb morphogenesis.

A table of developmental stages of the target species is useful for studying the development of any animal. Although tables of developmental stages have been established for several squamates, none has been published for gekkonid lizards. We have established a table of developmental stages for the Madagascar ground gecko Paroedura pictus.