Co-Authors:
Pines, M., Institute of Animal Sciences, Volcani Center, Bet Dagan, Israel
Reshef, R., Department of Biology and Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
Abstract:
Chondrogenesis, the initial development of skeletal bones, starts during embryonic development in the early stages of somitogenesis and is considered to be the earliest phase of skeletal development. It involves progenitor cell specification, cell migration, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, and differentiation and maturation of chondrocytes. Mesenchymal cells that undergo chondrogenesis derive from neural crest cells, which originate from the neural crest ridge of the neural ectoderm; the presegmented paraxial mesoderm that differentiates into somites to elicit the sclerotome compartment, which leads to formation of the axis skeleton; and the somatopleure of the lateral plate mesoderm, which initiates limb buds for the appendage bones. Economically, the major skeletal disorders are associated with the rapid increase in growth rate achieved during the last few decades, and understanding of the relevant mechanisms will help in developing treatments for bone-related diseases. In this chapter, we portray the events leading chondrogenesis at the cellular and molecular levels and describe the various poultry bone disorders. The aim is to provide an introduction to the field, but by no means to cover all aspects of poultry bone development and disorders. © 2015, 2000 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.