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Figure 4 | BMC Developmental Biology

Figure 4

From: Development of the mammalian liver and ventral pancreas is dependent on GATA4

Figure 4

Loss of GATA4 disrupts development of the ventral pancreas. Phenotypic analysis of pancreatic development in E9.5 (A-I) and E8.5 (J, K) Gata4-/- embryos compared with somite matched Gata4+/- embryo controls is shown. The ventral pancreas is outlined in H&E stained transverse sections of Gata4+/- (A) and Gata4-/- (B) embryos. The presumptive ventral pancreas of Gata4-/- embryos displays a cuboidal epithelial morphology compared with the expanded columnar epithelium of the control Gata4+/- embryos. Immunohistochemical staining for PDX1 identifies the ventral pancreas in transverse sections of Gata4+/- embryos (C; brown stain, white arrowhead), however staining is undetectable in Gata4-/- embryos (D; white arrow to equivalent region). PDX1 expression is identifiable in transverse sections of the dorsal pancreas in both Gata4+/- (E; white arrowheads) and Gata4-/- (F, G; white arrowheads) embryos. Expression of Hb9 can be readily detected in the dorsal pancreatic region (white arrowhead), notochord (black arrowhead), neural tube (black arrow), but not ventral pancreas (outlined) of Gata4+/- (H) and Gata4-/- (I) embryos. Sagittal sections of 6 somite stage Gata4+/- (J) and Gata4-/- (K) embryos identifies the position of the HNF4α positive extraembryonic visceral endoderm (black arrowhead) relative to the ventral foregut endoderm (underlined). The extent of outgrowth of the foregut endoderm (white arrowhead) is comparable between control and experimental embryos. g, midgut. c, cardiac mesoderm. Scale bar = 50 μM.

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