Somites form by an iterative process from unsegmented, presomitic mesoderm 
(PSM). Notch pathway components, such as deltaC (dlc) have been shown to play a 
role in this process, while the T-box transcription factors Ntla and Tbx16 
regulate somite formation upstream of this by controlling supply and movement of 
cells into the PSM during gastrulation and tailbud outgrowth. In this work, we 
report that Ntla and Tbx16 play a more explicit role in segmentation by directly 
regulating dlc expression. In addition we describe a cis-regulatory module (CRM) 
upstream of dlc that drives expression of a reporter in the tailbud, PSM and 
somites during somitogenesis. This CRM is bound by both Ntla and Tbx16 at a 
cluster of T-box binding sites, which are required in combination for activation 
of the CRM.