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Traffic (Copenhagen, Denmark) Mar 2020By happy chance, the founding of Traffic in 1999 coincided with a clutch of reports that documented the endocytosis and recycling of classical cadherin adhesion... (Review)
Review
By happy chance, the founding of Traffic in 1999 coincided with a clutch of reports that documented the endocytosis and recycling of classical cadherin adhesion receptors. This stimulated a concerted effort to elucidate the molecular regulation of cadherin endocytosis and to identify its functional implications. In particular, endocytosis provided new perspectives to understand how cadherins are modulated during tissue morphogenesis. In this short article, we consider some of what we have learnt about this problem and identify open questions for future research.
Topics: Cadherins; Cell Adhesion; Endocytosis; Morphogenesis
PubMed: 31912628
DOI: 10.1111/tra.12721 -
Seminars in Cell & Developmental Biology Jan 2023
Topics: Morphogenesis; Basement Membrane
PubMed: 35753907
DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.06.013 -
Current Opinion in Genetics &... Feb 2022Epithelial morphogenesis is guided by mechanical forces and biochemical signals that vary spatiotemporally. As many morphogenetic events are driven by rapid cellular... (Review)
Review
Epithelial morphogenesis is guided by mechanical forces and biochemical signals that vary spatiotemporally. As many morphogenetic events are driven by rapid cellular processes, understanding morphogenesis requires monitoring development in real time. Here, we discuss how live-imaging approaches can help identify morphogenetic mechanisms otherwise missed in static snapshots of development. We begin with a summary of live-imaging strategies, including recent advances that push the limits of spatiotemporal resolution and specimen size. We then describe recent efforts that employ live imaging to uncover morphogenetic mechanisms. We conclude by discussing how information collected from live imaging can be enhanced by genetically encoded biosensors and spatiotemporal perturbation techniques to determine the dynamics of patterning of developmental signals and their importance for guiding morphogenesis.
Topics: Mechanical Phenomena; Morphogenesis
PubMed: 34864332
DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2021.10.007 -
Cells & Development Dec 2021The blastocyst has long been a hallmark system of study in developmental biology due to its importance in mammalian development and clinical relevance for assisted... (Review)
Review
The blastocyst has long been a hallmark system of study in developmental biology due to its importance in mammalian development and clinical relevance for assisted reproductive technologies. In recent years, the blastocyst is emerging as a system of study for mathematical modelling. In this review, we compile, to our knowledge, all models describing preimplantation development. Coupled with experiments, these models have provided insight regarding the morphogenesis and cell-fate specification throughout preimplantation development. In the case of cell-fate specification, theoretical models have provided mechanisms explaining how proportion of cell types are established and maintained when confronted to perturbations. For cell-shape based models, they have described quantitatively how mechanical forces sculpt the blastocyst and even predicted how morphogenesis could be manipulated. As theoretical biology develops, we believe the next critical stage in modelling involves an integration of cell fate and mechanics to provide integrative models of development at distinct spatiotemporal scales. We discuss how, building on a balanced base of mechanical and chemical models, the preimplantation embryo will play a key role in integrating these two faces of the same coin.
Topics: Animals; Blastocyst; Cell Differentiation; Embryonic Development; Mammals; Morphogenesis
PubMed: 34634520
DOI: 10.1016/j.cdev.2021.203752 -
Nature Communications Jun 2023Although several tissues and chemokines orchestrate coronary formation, the guidance cues for coronary growth remain unclear. Here, we profile the juvenile zebrafish...
Although several tissues and chemokines orchestrate coronary formation, the guidance cues for coronary growth remain unclear. Here, we profile the juvenile zebrafish epicardium during coronary vascularization and identify hapln1a cells enriched with vascular-regulating genes. hapln1a cells not only envelop vessels but also form linear structures ahead of coronary sprouts. Live-imaging demonstrates that coronary growth occurs along these pre-formed structures, with depletion of hapln1a cells blocking this growth. hapln1a cells also pre-lead coronary sprouts during regeneration and hapln1a cell loss inhibits revascularization. Further, we identify serpine1 expression in hapln1a cells adjacent to coronary sprouts, and serpine1 inhibition blocks vascularization and revascularization. Moreover, we observe the hapln1a substrate, hyaluronan, forming linear structures along and preceding coronary vessels. Depletion of hapln1a cells or serpine1 activity inhibition disrupts hyaluronan structure. Our studies reveal that hapln1a cells and serpine1 are required for coronary production by establishing a microenvironment to facilitate guided coronary growth.
Topics: Animals; Hyaluronic Acid; Zebrafish; Heart; Coronary Vessels; Neovascularization, Pathologic; Morphogenesis
PubMed: 37311876
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39323-6 -
Annual Review of Genetics Nov 2021Multicellular organisms develop complex shapes from much simpler, single-celled zygotes through a process commonly called morphogenesis. Morphogenesis involves an... (Review)
Review
Multicellular organisms develop complex shapes from much simpler, single-celled zygotes through a process commonly called morphogenesis. Morphogenesis involves an interplay between several factors, ranging from the gene regulatory networks determining cell fate and differentiation to the mechanical processes underlying cell and tissue shape changes. Thus, the study of morphogenesis has historically been based on multidisciplinary approaches at the interface of biology with physics and mathematics. Recent technological advances have further improved our ability to study morphogenesis by bridging the gap between the genetic and biophysical factors through the development of new tools for visualizing, analyzing, and perturbing these factors and their biochemical intermediaries. Here, we review how a combination of genetic, microscopic, biophysical, and biochemical approaches has aided our attempts to understand morphogenesis and discuss potential approaches that may be beneficial to such an inquiry in the future.
Topics: Biophysics; Cell Differentiation; Morphogenesis
PubMed: 34460295
DOI: 10.1146/annurev-genet-071819-103748 -
Developmental Cell Dec 2021Both biochemical and mechanical signals coordinate all processes at the origin of the formation of functional organs, including tissue folding, cell shape, and...
Both biochemical and mechanical signals coordinate all processes at the origin of the formation of functional organs, including tissue folding, cell shape, and differentiation. In this issue of Developmental Cell, Blonski et al. establish a direct consequence of epithelial monolayer folding on nuclear shape and gene expression.
Topics: Cell Differentiation; Cell Shape; Morphogenesis
PubMed: 34875221
DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2021.11.013 -
Current Topics in Developmental Biology 2021Branching morphogenesis generates epithelial trees which facilitate gas exchange, filtering, as well as secretion processes with their large surface to volume ratio. In... (Review)
Review
Branching morphogenesis generates epithelial trees which facilitate gas exchange, filtering, as well as secretion processes with their large surface to volume ratio. In this review, we focus on the developmental mechanisms that control the early stages of lung branching morphogenesis. Lung branching morphogenesis involves the stereotypic, recurrent definition of new branch points, subsequent epithelial budding, and lung tube elongation. We discuss current models and experimental evidence for each of these steps. Finally, we discuss the role of the mesenchyme in determining the organ-specific shape.
Topics: Cell Division; Lung; Mesoderm; Morphogenesis; Organogenesis
PubMed: 33820622
DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2021.02.002 -
Current Biology : CB Nov 2022Development is a highly dynamic process in which organisms often experience changes in both form and behavior, which are typically coupled to each other. However,...
Development is a highly dynamic process in which organisms often experience changes in both form and behavior, which are typically coupled to each other. However, little is known about how organismal-scale behaviors such as body contractility and motility impact morphogenesis. Here, we use the cnidarian Nematostella vectensis as a developmental model to uncover a mechanistic link between organismal size, shape, and behavior. Using quantitative live imaging in a large population of developing animals, combined with molecular and biophysical experiments, we demonstrate that the muscular-hydraulic machinery that controls body movement also drives larva-polyp morphogenesis. We show that organismal size largely depends on cavity inflation through fluid uptake, whereas body shape is constrained by the organization of the muscular system. The generation of ethograms identifies different trajectories of size and shape development in sessile and motile animals, which display distinct patterns of body contractions. With a simple theoretical model, we conceptualize how pressures generated by muscular hydraulics can act as a global mechanical regulator that coordinates tissue remodeling. Altogether, our findings illustrate how organismal contractility and motility behaviors can influence morphogenesis.
Topics: Animals; Larva; Morphogenesis; Sea Anemones
PubMed: 36115340
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.08.065 -
Development (Cambridge, England) Aug 2023Earlier data on liver development demonstrated that morphogenesis of the bile duct, portal mesenchyme and hepatic artery is interdependent, yet how this interdependency...
Earlier data on liver development demonstrated that morphogenesis of the bile duct, portal mesenchyme and hepatic artery is interdependent, yet how this interdependency is orchestrated remains unknown. Here, using 2D and 3D imaging, we first describe how portal mesenchymal cells become organised to form hepatic arteries. Next, we examined intercellular signalling active during portal area development and found that axon guidance genes are dynamically expressed in developing bile ducts and portal mesenchyme. Using tissue-specific gene inactivation in mice, we show that the repulsive guidance molecule BMP co-receptor A (RGMA)/neogenin (NEO1) receptor/ligand pair is dispensable for portal area development, but that deficient roundabout 2 (ROBO2)/SLIT2 signalling in the portal mesenchyme causes reduced maturation of the vascular smooth muscle cells that form the tunica media of the hepatic artery. This arterial anomaly does not impact liver function in homeostatic conditions, but is associated with significant tissular damage following partial hepatectomy. In conclusion, our work identifies new players in development of the liver vasculature in health and liver regeneration.
Topics: Animals; Mice; Hepatic Artery; Axon Guidance; Bile Ducts; Morphogenesis; Gene Silencing
PubMed: 37497580
DOI: 10.1242/dev.201642