only_in_taxon only in taxon develops_from develops from develops from Vertebrata <Metazoa> Vertebrata <vertebrates> somite sclerotome http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Gray65.png Wikipedia:Sclerotome UBERON:0003089 uberon sclerotomes BTO:0006255 sclerotomus Skeletogenic portion of somites.[AAO] FMA:295652 AAO:0010571 UMLS:C0183176 VHOG:0000680 Ventral somitic compartment that is a precursor of the axial skeleton[XAO]. Sclerotomes eventually differentiate into the vertebrae and most of the skull. The caudal (posterior) half of one sclerotome fuses with the rostral (anterior) half of the adjacent one to form each vertebra. From their initial location within the somite, the sclerotome cells migrate medially towards the notochord. These cells meet the sclerotome cells from the other side to form the vertebral body. From this vertebral body, sclerotome cells move dorsally and surround the developing spinal cord, forming the vertebral arch[WP]. part_of somite in XAO TAO:0001080 AEO:0000212 EMAPA:31159 XAO:0000397 The vertebrate sclerotome has no equivalent in amphioxus and is a novelty linked with the evolution of the axial skeleton.[well established][VHOG] EHDAA2:0003439 NCIT:C34287 ZFA:0001080 mesoderm-derived structure developing mesenchymal condensation migrating mesenchyme population