The specialized glial structure (non-neuronal cells) situated at the ventral midline of the embryonic neural tube; this structure spans the anteroposterior axis from the midbrain to the tail regions, separating the left and right basal plates of the developing neural tube, and serves as an organizer to ventralize tissues in the embryo as well as to guide neuronal positioning and differentiation along the dorsoventral axis of the neural tube. [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floor_plate http://www.informatics.jax.org/accession/anna http://amigo.geneontology.org/amigo/term/GO:0021508 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15738958 ]

Synonyms: floorplate

This is just here as a test because I lose it

Term information

database cross reference
Subsets

uberon_slim, efo_slim, pheno_slim, vertebrate_core

comment

"A structure integral to the developing nervous system of vertebrate organisms. Located on the ventral midline of the embryonic neural tube, the floor plate is a specialized glial structure that spans the anteroposterior axis from the midbrain to the tail regions. It has been shown that the floor plate is conserved among vertebrates with homologous structures in invertebrates such as the fruit fly Drosophila and the nematode C. elegans. Functionally, the structure serves as an organizer to ventralize tissues in the embryo as well as to guide neuronal positioning and differentiation along the dorsoventral axis of the neural tube."

depicted by

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Gray642.png

external definition

Organizing center consisting of a small group of cells located at the ventral midline of the neural tube that influences the development of the nervous system, governing the specification of neuronal cell types and directing axonal trajectories.[AAO]

external ontology notes

although this is classically defined as being located on the neural tube, in many AOs the floor plate continues post-embryonically after the neural tube has ceased to exist. Consider 'floor plate of neural tube'.

has related synonym

bodenplatte

ventral plate

FP

id

UBERON:0003079