Description
During mammalian gastrulation, pluripotent epiblast stem cells migrate through the primitive streak to form the multipotent progenitors of the mesoderm and endoderm germ layers. Msgn1 is a bHLH transcription factor and is a direct target gene of the Wnt/bcatenin signaling pathway. Msgn1 is expressed in the mesodermal compartment of the primitive streak and is necessary for the proper development of the mesoderm. Msgn1 mutants show defects in somitogenesis leading to a lack of trunk skeletal muscles, vertebra and ribs.