Expression profiles of E11.5 wildtype and Shox2 knockout embryonic forelimbs. Mus musculus

The development of vertebrate extremities is a complex process which requires a highly coordinated network of different transcriptional activities. The homeodomain transcription factor Shox2 is a key player in limb formation controlling neural, muscular and skeletal development. Here, we compared gene expression profiles of wildtype and Shox2 knockout limbs using microarray experiments to identify Shox2 target genes. Overall design: Forelimbs of E11.5 mouse embryos were dissected and genotyped for RNA extraction. RNA from 3-4 embryos of 2 different pregnancies was used for hybridisation to 2 arrays per genotype (wildtype and Shox2 knockout) and compared.