Homozygous mice are born but die shortly after birth, exhibiting multiple defects, including an open neural tube, skeletal abnormalities, shortened body axis, and a small vestigial tail. Analysis of early gene expression has shown that the loss of Nog expression in the floorplate, notochord, and roofplate results in a progressive failure of ventral development in the CNS and somites. Nog is also expressed in condensing cartilage in the limb and in the sclerotome of somites so its loss results in defects in cartilage patterning and skeletal morphogenesis. Heterozygous embryos show lacZ reporter expression in pattern consistent with the endogenous gene. The Jackson Laboratory 2024, used with permission.