Molecular similarity between the mechanisms of epithelial fusion and fetal wound healing during the closure of the caudal neural tube in mouse embryos

Background Neural tube (NT) closure is a complex developmental process that takes place in the early stages of embryogenesis and that is a key step in neurulation. In mammals, the process by which the neural plate generates the NT requires organized cell movements and tissue folding, and it terminates with the fusion of the apposed ends of the neural folds. Results Here we describe how almost identical cellular and molecular machinery is used to...