Cell division during Xenopus gastrulation influences neuroectoderm patterning

Oriented cell division is essential for establishing the anterior-posterior body (A-P) axis in diverse species. However, in Xenopus laevis, blocking cell division during gastrulation does not impair the development of the neural tube and body elongation. Here, we demonstrate that neither neurulation nor dorsal mesoderm formation is dependent on cell division. On the other hand, neural plate elongation and A-P patterning are impacted in the absence of cell division, resulting in trunk defects and anterior defects that appear during tailbud stages. We also show that cell division is abundant around the ectoderm of the gastrulating embryo. Still, it is more intense in the dorsal ectoderm (presumptive neural plate), where there is a clear preference for A-P oriented cell divisions. Taken together, our results highlight a conserved mechanism of A-P oriented cell division that is present during neural plate elongation and patterning.