Expression of the Foxi2 and Foxi3 transcription factors during development of chicken sensory placodes and pharyngeal arches.

Foxi2 and Foxi3 are members of the Foxi class of Forkhead transcription factors. The Foxi transcription factor family has been shown to play roles in the development of the inner ear and pharyngeal arch derivatives in zebrafish. We describe the expression of Foxi2 and Foxi3 in chicken embryos during the first three days of embryonic development. Foxi3 is initially expressed broadly in the pre-placodal ectoderm surrounding the neural plate, which will give rise to all craniofacial sensory organs. It then becomes restricted to a region immediately anterior to the first pair of somites that will give rise to the otic and epibranchial placodes, before becoming down-regulated from this region and restricted to the ectoderm and endoderm of the pharyngeal arches. In contrast, Foxi2 is initially expressed broadly in cranial ectoderm with the striking exception of the otic placode, and ultimately becomes restricted to pharyngeal arch ectoderm. These expression patterns provide an insight into the roles of these transcriptional regulators during the development of the inner ear and pharyngeal arch derivatives.