-
Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences :... Nov 2022Gastrulation and neurulation are successive morphogenetic processes that play key roles in shaping the basic embryonic body plan. Importantly, they operate through... (Review)
Review
Gastrulation and neurulation are successive morphogenetic processes that play key roles in shaping the basic embryonic body plan. Importantly, they operate through common cellular and molecular mechanisms to set up the three spatially organized germ layers and to close the neural tube. During gastrulation and neurulation, convergent extension movements driven by cell intercalation and oriented cell division generate major forces to narrow the germ layers along the mediolateral axis and elongate the embryo in the anteroposterior direction. Apical constriction also makes an important contribution to promote the formation of the blastopore and the bending of the neural plate. Planar cell polarity proteins are major regulators of asymmetric cell behaviors and critically involved in a wide variety of developmental processes, from gastrulation and neurulation to organogenesis. Mutations of planar cell polarity genes can lead to general defects in the morphogenesis of different organs and the co-existence of distinct congenital diseases, such as spina bifida, hearing deficits, kidney diseases, and limb elongation defects. This review outlines our current understanding of non-canonical Wnt signaling, commonly known as Wnt/planar cell polarity signaling, in regulating morphogenetic movements of gastrulation and neural tube closure during development and disease. It also attempts to identify unanswered questions that deserve further investigations.
Topics: Humans; Neurulation; Gastrulation; Cell Polarity; Wnt Signaling Pathway; Neural Tube; Morphogenesis; Neural Tube Defects
PubMed: 36369349
DOI: 10.1007/s00018-022-04620-8 -
International Journal of Molecular... Jun 2023Developmental biology studies ontogenesis, the individual development of an organism from the time of fertilization in sexual reproduction or its expelling from the...
Developmental biology studies ontogenesis, the individual development of an organism from the time of fertilization in sexual reproduction or its expelling from the maternal organism in asexual reproduction to the end of an organism's life, with all phenotypical characters typical of this biological species and supporting the normal course of all biochemical processes and morphogenesis [...].
Topics: Reproduction; Reproduction, Asexual; Morphogenesis; Developmental Biology
PubMed: 37445614
DOI: 10.3390/ijms241310435 -
Trends in Biotechnology Aug 2020Recent advances in stem cell biology and tissue engineering have laid the groundwork for building complex tissues in a dish. We propose that these technologies are ready... (Review)
Review
Recent advances in stem cell biology and tissue engineering have laid the groundwork for building complex tissues in a dish. We propose that these technologies are ready for a new challenge: recapitulating cardiac morphogenesis in vitro. In development, the heart transforms from a simple linear tube to a four-chambered organ through a complex process called looping. Here, we re-examine heart tube looping through the lens of an engineer and argue that the linear heart tube is an advantageous starting point for tissue engineering. We summarize the structures, signaling pathways, and stresses in the looping heart, and evaluate approaches that could be used to build a linear heart tube and guide it through the process of looping.
Topics: Animals; Heart; Humans; Morphogenesis; Organogenesis; Signal Transduction; Stem Cell Research; Stem Cell Transplantation; Stem Cells; Tissue Engineering
PubMed: 32673587
DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2020.01.006 -
Development (Cambridge, England) Sep 2019The Hippo signalling pathway and its transcriptional co-activator targets Yorkie/YAP/TAZ first came to attention because of their role in tissue growth control. Over the... (Review)
Review
The Hippo signalling pathway and its transcriptional co-activator targets Yorkie/YAP/TAZ first came to attention because of their role in tissue growth control. Over the past 15 years, it has become clear that, like other developmental pathways (e.g. the Wnt, Hedgehog and TGFβ pathways), Hippo signalling is a 'jack of all trades' that is reiteratively used to mediate a range of cellular decision-making processes from proliferation, death and morphogenesis to cell fate determination. Here, and in the accompanying poster, we briefly outline the core pathway and its regulation, and describe the breadth of its roles in animal development.
Topics: Animals; Cell Lineage; Cell Polarity; Embryonic Development; Humans; Morphogenesis; Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; Signal Transduction
PubMed: 31527062
DOI: 10.1242/dev.167106 -
Seminars in Cell & Developmental Biology May 2023Recent advances in pluripotent stem cell culture allow researchers to generate not only most embryonic cell types, but also morphologies of many embryonic structures,... (Review)
Review
Recent advances in pluripotent stem cell culture allow researchers to generate not only most embryonic cell types, but also morphologies of many embryonic structures, entirely in vitro. This recreation of embryonic form from naïve cells, known as synthetic morphogenesis, has important implications for both developmental biology and regenerative medicine. However, the capacity of stem cell-based models to recapitulate the morphogenetic cell behaviors that shape natural embryos remains unclear. In this review, we explore several examples of synthetic morphogenesis, with a focus on models of gastrulation and surrounding stages. By varying cell types, source species, and culture conditions, researchers have recreated aspects of primitive streak formation, emergence and elongation of the primary embryonic axis, neural tube closure, and more. Here, we describe cell behaviors within in vitro/ex vivo systems that mimic in vivo morphogenesis and highlight opportunities for more complete models of early development.
Topics: Gastrulation; Morphogenesis
PubMed: 35817656
DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.07.002 -
Current Opinion in Genetics &... Feb 2022Epithelial organoids can recapitulate many processes reminiscent of morphogenesis in vivo including lumen and multilayer formation, folding, branching, delamination and... (Review)
Review
Epithelial organoids can recapitulate many processes reminiscent of morphogenesis in vivo including lumen and multilayer formation, folding, branching, delamination and elongation. While being noisier in vitro than in vivo, these processes can be monitored live and subjected to interferences, a field that is emerging. We elaborate on the signalling molecules controlling morphogenesis, from the medium and their emergence as signalling centers in the organoids. Further, we discuss how organoid shape is controlled by mechanical cues within the organoid and their interplay with the material properties of the environment.
Topics: Morphogenesis; Organoids
PubMed: 34794006
DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2021.10.001 -
Nature Communications Aug 2022Cranial neural crest cells are an evolutionary innovation of vertebrates for craniofacial development and function, yet the mechanisms that govern the cell fate...
Cranial neural crest cells are an evolutionary innovation of vertebrates for craniofacial development and function, yet the mechanisms that govern the cell fate decisions of postmigratory cranial neural crest cells remain largely unknown. Using the mouse molar as a model, we perform single-cell transcriptome profiling to interrogate the cell fate diversification of postmigratory cranial neural crest cells. We reveal the landscape of transcriptional heterogeneity and define the specific cellular domains during the progression of cranial neural crest cell-derived dental lineage diversification, and find that each domain makes a specific contribution to distinct molar mesenchymal tissues. Furthermore, IGF signaling-mediated cell-cell interaction between the cellular domains highlights the pivotal role of autonomous regulation of the dental mesenchyme. Importantly, we reveal cell-type-specific gene regulatory networks in the dental mesenchyme and show that Foxp4 is indispensable for the differentiation of periodontal ligament. Our single-cell atlas provides comprehensive mechanistic insight into the cell fate diversification process of the cranial neural crest cell-derived odontogenic populations.
Topics: Animals; Cell Differentiation; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; Mesoderm; Mice; Morphogenesis; Neural Crest; Odontogenesis; Signal Transduction
PubMed: 35974052
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32490-y -
Biochemical Society Transactions Jun 2020The development of natural tissues, organs and bodies depends on mechanisms of patterning and of morphogenesis, typically (but not invariably) in that order, and often... (Review)
Review
The development of natural tissues, organs and bodies depends on mechanisms of patterning and of morphogenesis, typically (but not invariably) in that order, and often several times at different final scales. Using synthetic biology to engineer patterning and morphogenesis will both enhance our basic understanding of how development works, and provide important technologies for advanced tissue engineering. Focusing on mammalian systems built to date, this review describes patterning systems, both contact-mediated and reaction-diffusion, and morphogenetic effectors. It also describes early attempts to connect the two to create self-organizing physical form. The review goes on to consider how these self-organized systems might be modified to increase the complexity and scale of the order they produce, and outlines some possible directions for future research and development.
Topics: Animals; Body Patterning; Cell Differentiation; Humans; Morphogenesis; Organoids; Receptors, Notch; Signal Transduction; Synthetic Biology; Tissue Engineering
PubMed: 32510150
DOI: 10.1042/BST20200013 -
Seminars in Cell & Developmental Biology Oct 2022The neural tube is an important model system of morphogenesis representing the developmental module of out-of-plane epithelial deformation. As the embryonic precursor of... (Review)
Review
The neural tube is an important model system of morphogenesis representing the developmental module of out-of-plane epithelial deformation. As the embryonic precursor of the central nervous system, the neural tube also holds keys to many defects and diseases. Recent advances begin to reveal how genetic, cellular and environmental mechanisms work in concert to ensure correct neural tube shape. A physical model is emerging where these factors converge at the regulation of the mechanical forces and properties within and around the tissue that drive tube formation towards completion. Here we review the dynamics and mechanics of neural tube morphogenesis and discuss the underlying cellular behaviours from the viewpoint of tissue mechanics. We will also highlight some of the conceptual and technical next steps.
Topics: Biomechanical Phenomena; Central Nervous System; Models, Biological; Morphogenesis; Neural Tube
PubMed: 34561169
DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2021.09.009 -
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal... Oct 2020
Topics: Animals; Morphogenesis; Plant Development
PubMed: 32829677
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0549