Signals regulating muscle formation in the limb during embryonic development

Classically, somites have been the preparation of choice for the study of muscle development, while the limb bud is the preferred model of axis formation. Nevertheless, the limb bud offers some experimental advantages for muscle studies. This review describes the successive events involved in limb muscle formation during embryonic development, the properties of the key marker molecules and resumes our current knowledge of the signalling pathways involved.