mortality/aging
• all homozygotes except one are embryonic lethal; only 1 out of 244 pups born from heterozygous crosses is a homozygote
• homozygotes exhibiting anterior-posterior axis defects at E6.7 undergo regression at E8.0; those that pass the stage of anterior-posterior axis formation also die before E9.0
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embryo
• at E6.7, only 3 of 13 of homozygotes show abnormal anterior-posterior axis formation; Cerl (cerberus 1, DAN family BMP antagonist) is abnormally expressed in the distal visceral endoderm while Brachyury is broadly localized in a proximal area near the embryonic/extraembryonic constriction
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• most homozygotes exhibit cessation of embryonic growth at E9.0
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