Segmental expression of aggrecan in the non-segmented perinotochordal sheath underlies normal segmentation of the vertebral column.

The embryonic vertebral column is derived from the unsegmented axial mesenchyme surrounding the notochord, and its development and differentiation are influenced by the notochord. The role of cartilage in determining the ultimate pattern of the segmental skeleton has been well documented, but a gene whose segmental expression corresponds to the pattern of the developing skeleton has yet to be identified. We show that chick aggrecan is initially expressed within the entire length of the notochord, and as development proceeds, aggrecan expression becomes restricted to the surrounding perinotochordal sheath in a segmental pattern, mirroring the differentiated somite pattern.