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Abstract
The segment polarity gene hedgehog (hh) encodes a novel signaling protein that mediates
local cell-cell interactions in the developing Drosophila embryo. Here we describe
the existence of an hh-related gene family in the zebrafish, Brachydanio rerio. One
of these genes, sonic hedgehog (shh), is expressed in the notochord, floor plate,
and posterior fin mesoderm, tissues associated with polarizing activities in various
vertebrate embryos. The pattern of shh expression in zebra-fish mutants affecting
axial structures, together with the consequences of its ectopic expression in normal
embryos, is consistent with a role for shh in floor plate induction. By expressing
shh in transgenic Drosophila embryos, we also demonstrate a strong functional conservation
between the fish and fly hh genes.