Abstract：
For almost a century, developmental biologists have appreciated that the ability of the embryonic organizer to induce and pattern the body plan is intertwined with its differentiation into axial mesoderm. Despite this, we still have a relatively poor understanding of the contribution of axial mesoderm to induction and patterning of different body regions, and the manner in which axial mesoderm-derived information is interpreted in tissues of changing competence. Here, with a particular focus on the nervous system, we review the evidence that axial mesoderm notochord and prechordal mesoderm/mesendoderm act as organizers, discuss how their influence extends through the different axes of the developing organism, and describe how the ability of axial mesoderm to direct morphogenesis impacts on its role as a local organizer.
摘要：
近一个世纪以来,发育生物学家已经意识到，胚胎组织者诱导和图案化身体计划的能力与其分化为轴向中胚层交织在一起。尽管如此,我们仍然对轴向中胚层对不同体区的感应和图案化的贡献有相对较差的理解，以及在能力变化的组织中解释轴向中胚层衍生信息的方式。这里,特别关注神经系统，我们回顾了轴向中胚层脊索和前弦中胚层/中内胚层作为组织者的证据，讨论它们的影响如何通过发育中的有机体的不同轴延伸，并描述轴向中胚层直接形态发生的能力如何影响其作为局部组织者的作用。
