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Current Opinion in Cell Biology Dec 2021Organoids are three-dimensional structures that self-organize from human pluripotent stem cells or primary tissue, potentially serving as a traceable and manipulatable... (Review)
Review
Organoids are three-dimensional structures that self-organize from human pluripotent stem cells or primary tissue, potentially serving as a traceable and manipulatable platform to facilitate our understanding of organogenesis. Despite the ongoing advancement in generating organoids of diverse systems, biological applications of in vitro generated organoids remain as a major challenge in part due to a substantial lack of intricate complexity. The studies of development and regeneration enumerate the essential roles of highly diversified nonepithelial populations such as mesenchyme and endothelium in directing fate specification, morphogenesis, and maturation. Furthermore, organoids with physiological and homeostatic functions require direct and indirect inter-organ crosstalk recapitulating what is seen in organogenesis. We herein review the evolving organoid technology at the cell, tissue, organ, and system level with a main emphasis on endoderm derivatives.
Topics: Endoderm; Humans; Morphogenesis; Organogenesis; Organoids; Pluripotent Stem Cells
PubMed: 34352726
DOI: 10.1016/j.ceb.2021.06.007 -
The International Journal of... 2018Striated muscle is the most abundant tissue in the body of vertebrates and it forms, together with the skeleton, the locomotory system required both for movement and the... (Review)
Review
Striated muscle is the most abundant tissue in the body of vertebrates and it forms, together with the skeleton, the locomotory system required both for movement and the creation of the specific body shape of a species. Research on the embryonic development of muscles has a long tradition both in classical embryology and in molecular developmental biology. While the gene networks regulating muscle development have been discovered mostly in the mouse through genetics, our knowledge on cell lineages, muscle morphogenesis and tissue interactions regulating their formation is to a large extent based on the use of the avian model. This review highlights present knowledge of the development of skeletal muscle in vertebrate embryos. Special focus will be placed on the contributions from chicken and quail embryo model systems.
Topics: Animals; Cell Differentiation; Cell Lineage; Chick Embryo; Chickens; Electroporation; Embryonic Development; Mesoderm; Mice; Morphogenesis; Muscle Development; Quail; Signal Transduction; Somites; Stem Cells
PubMed: 29616720
DOI: 10.1387/ijdb.170312cm -
Mechanisms of Development Jun 2017In "On growth and form", D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson (1917) stresses the inevitable interactions between physics and developmental biology. With the recent progress in... (Review)
Review
In "On growth and form", D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson (1917) stresses the inevitable interactions between physics and developmental biology. With the recent progress in molecular genetics, live imaging, micromechanics and modeling, the study of morphogenesis has been rejuvenated in the present century: the activity of developmental genes can be interpreted in terms of mechanical properties to dissect the chain of events behind shape changes; in turn, patterns of shape- and growth-derived mechanical stress are calculated and shown to act as signals controlling cell effectors, in synergy with biochemical cues, thereby channeling morphogenesis. In short, the relation between the mechanics and the biochemistry of shape changes is now addressed more comprehensively. Beyond the legacy left by this unique, elegant, and thought provoking analysis of development, D'Arcy rooted a new field, that one could call "mechano-devo", and used didactic analogies to bridge biology and physics. Here are some subjective take home messages from this seminal book, for the developmental biologist interested in conducting such interdisciplinary research.
Topics: Animals; Developmental Biology; Humans; Models, Biological; Molecular Biology; Morphogenesis; Stress, Mechanical
PubMed: 28315388
DOI: 10.1016/j.mod.2017.02.004 -
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 -
Developmental Cell Jan 2021Mechanical forces are integral to development-from the earliest stages of embryogenesis to the construction and differentiation of complex organs. Advances in imaging... (Review)
Review
Mechanical forces are integral to development-from the earliest stages of embryogenesis to the construction and differentiation of complex organs. Advances in imaging and biophysical tools have allowed us to delve into the developmental mechanobiology of increasingly complex organs and organisms. Here, we focus on recent work that highlights the diversity and importance of mechanical influences during morphogenesis. Developing tissues experience intrinsic mechanical signals from active forces and changes to tissue mechanical properties as well as extrinsic mechanical signals, including constraint and compression, pressure, and shear forces. Finally, we suggest promising avenues for future work in this rapidly expanding field.
Topics: Animals; Biomechanical Phenomena; Biophysics; Cell Differentiation; Embryonic Development; Humans; Mechanotransduction, Cellular; Morphogenesis; Signal Transduction
PubMed: 33321105
DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2020.11.025 -
Cell Feb 2023Axial development of mammals involves coordinated morphogenetic events, including axial elongation, somitogenesis, and neural tube formation. To gain insight into the...
Axial development of mammals involves coordinated morphogenetic events, including axial elongation, somitogenesis, and neural tube formation. To gain insight into the signals controlling the dynamics of human axial morphogenesis, we generated axially elongating organoids by inducing anteroposterior symmetry breaking of spatially coupled epithelial cysts derived from human pluripotent stem cells. Each organoid was composed of a neural tube flanked by presomitic mesoderm sequentially segmented into somites. Periodic activation of the somite differentiation gene MESP2 coincided in space and time with anteriorly traveling segmentation clock waves in the presomitic mesoderm of the organoids, recapitulating critical aspects of somitogenesis. Timed perturbations demonstrated that FGF and WNT signaling play distinct roles in axial elongation and somitogenesis, and that FGF signaling gradients drive segmentation clock waves. By generating and perturbing organoids that robustly recapitulate the architecture of multiple axial tissues in human embryos, this work offers a means to dissect mechanisms underlying human embryogenesis.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Body Patterning; Embryonic Development; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; Mammals; Mesoderm; Morphogenesis; Somites; Wnt Signaling Pathway; Organoids
PubMed: 36657441
DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.12.042 -
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 -
Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in... May 2012Wnt proteins bind to Frizzled family members on the surface of the cell to regulate developmental processes (e.g., cell fate and morphogenesis). (Review)
Review
Wnt proteins bind to Frizzled family members on the surface of the cell to regulate developmental processes (e.g., cell fate and morphogenesis).
Topics: Calcium; Cell Polarity; Cytoskeleton; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; Humans; Models, Biological; Morphogenesis; Wnt Signaling Pathway
PubMed: 22550232
DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a011163 -
Developmental Cell Jun 2019Self-organization is pervasive in development, from symmetry breaking in the early embryo to tissue patterning and morphogenesis. For a few model systems, the underlying... (Review)
Review
Self-organization is pervasive in development, from symmetry breaking in the early embryo to tissue patterning and morphogenesis. For a few model systems, the underlying molecular and cellular processes are now sufficiently characterized that mathematical models can be confronted with experiments, to explore the dynamics of pattern formation. Here, we review selected systems, ranging from cyanobacteria to mammals, where different forms of cell-cell communication, acting alone or together with positional cues, drive the patterning of cell fates, highlighting the insights that even very simple models can provide as well as the challenges on the path to a predictive understanding of development.
Topics: Animals; Body Patterning; Cell Communication; Cell Differentiation; Mammals; Models, Biological; Morphogenesis
PubMed: 31163171
DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2019.05.019 -
Current Topics in Developmental Biology 2021As multi-cellular organisms evolved from small clusters of cells to complex metazoans, biological tubes became essential for life. Tubes are typically thought of as... (Review)
Review
As multi-cellular organisms evolved from small clusters of cells to complex metazoans, biological tubes became essential for life. Tubes are typically thought of as mainly playing a role in transport, with the hollow space (lumen) acting as a conduit to distribute nutrients and waste, or for gas exchange. However, biological tubes also provide a platform for physiological, mechanical, and structural functions. Indeed, tubulogenesis is often a critical aspect of morphogenesis and organogenesis. C. elegans is made up of tubes that provide structural support and protection (the epidermis), perform the mechanical and enzymatic processes of digestion (the buccal cavity, pharynx, intestine, and rectum), transport fluids for osmoregulation (the excretory system), and execute the functions necessary for reproduction (the germline, spermatheca, uterus and vulva). Here we review our current understanding of the genetic regulation, molecular processes, and physical forces involved in tubulogenesis and morphogenesis of the epidermal, digestive and excretory systems in C. elegans.
Topics: Animals; Caenorhabditis elegans; Female; Morphogenesis; Organogenesis
PubMed: 33992152
DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2020.12.012