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Wood TR, Kucinski I, Voiculescu O. Distinct molecular profile of the chick organizer as a stem zone during axial elongation. Open Biol 2024; 14:240139. [PMID: 38955223 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.240139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 06/07/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024] Open
Abstract
The vertebrate organizer plays a crucial role in building the main (antero-posterior) axis of the embryo: it neuralizes the surrounding ectoderm, and is the site of emigration for cells making axial and paraxial mesendoderm during elongation. The chick organizer becomes a stem zone at the onset of elongation; it stops recruiting cells from the neighbouring ectoderm and generates all its derivatives from the small number of resident cells it contains at the end of gastrulation stages. Nothing is known about the molecular identity of this stem zone. Here, we specifically labelled long-term resident cells of the organizer and compared their RNA-seq profile to that of the neighbouring cell populations. Screening by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and in situ hybridization identified four genes (WIF1, PTGDS, ThPO and UCKL1) that are upregulated only in the organizer region when it becomes a stem zone and remain expressed there during axial elongation. In experiments specifically labelling the resident cells of the mature organizer, we show that only these cells express these genes. These findings molecularly define the organizer as a stem zone and offer a key to understanding how this zone is set up, the molecular control of its cells' behaviour and the evolution of axial growth zones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy R Wood
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK
| | - Iwo Kucinski
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK
| | - Octavian Voiculescu
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK
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2
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Korzh V. Never-ending story of Brachyury: From short-tailed mice to tailless primates. Cells Dev 2024; 178:203896. [PMID: 38072067 DOI: 10.1016/j.cdev.2023.203896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2023] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/16/2024]
Abstract
The history of developmental biology starts from the almost simultaneous discoveries of the Organizer of axial structures in amphibians by Spemann and Mangold in Freiburg and of the Brachyury mutant in mammals by the Dobrovolskaya-Zavadskaya laboratory at the Curie Institute and its follow-up studies in the Leslie Dunn laboratory at Columbia University. Following the Organizer's discovery, the inductive activity of several other embryonic tissues was found, including that of the ear primordium by Boris Balinsky in Kiev. Initially, the experimental embryological and genetic lines of research existed independently of each other, but after they met at the bench of Salome Gluecksohn, they strengthened and cross-fertilized each other, eventually leading to developmental genetics, which later became known as developmental biology. It appears that the regulatory activities of Brachyury and related T-box proteins in general are at the heart of the development of all vertebrates. These activities are fundamental and have been discovered in several model organisms subjected to mutagenesis, exemplified by the story of George Streisinger's discovery of the no tail mutant in zebrafish. This essay describes the history of Brachyury studies, their connection to an idea of embryonic induction by Organizer, and an impact of Brachyury and related genes on various fields of research from embryology and cell biology to medical genetics and evolutionary theory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladimir Korzh
- International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Warsaw, Poland.
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3
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Harmoush B, Viebahn C, Tsikolia N. Development of node architecture and emergence of molecular organizer characteristics in the pig embryo. Dev Dyn 2024. [PMID: 38733144 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2023] [Revised: 03/17/2024] [Accepted: 03/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The avian node is the equivalent of the amphibian Spemann's organizer, as indicated by its ability to induce a secondary axis, cellular contribution, and gene expression, whereas the node of the mouse, which displays limited inductive capacities, was suggested to be a part of spatially distributed signaling. Furthermore, the structural identity of the mouse node is subject of controversy, while little is known about equivalent structures in other mammals. RESULTS We analyzed the node and emerging organizer in the pig using morphology and the expression of selected organizer genes prior to and during gastrulation. The node was defined according to the "four-quarter model" based on comparative consideration. The node of the pig displays a multilayered, dense structure that includes columnar epithelium, bottle-like cells in the dorsal part, and mesenchymal cells ventrally. Expression of goosecoid (gsc), chordin, and brachyury, together with morphology, reveal the consecutive emergence of three distinct domains: the gastrulation precursor domain, the presumptive node, and the mature node. Additionally, gsc displays a ventral expression domain prior to epiblast epithelialization. CONCLUSION Our study defines the morphological and molecular context of the emerging organizer equivalent in the pig and suggests a sequential development of its function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Braah Harmoush
- Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University Medical Centre Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Christoph Viebahn
- Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University Medical Centre Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Nikoloz Tsikolia
- Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University Medical Centre Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
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4
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Olmsted ZT, Paredes-Espinosa MB, Paluh JL. Embryonic Spinal Cord Innervation in Human Trunk Organogenesis Gastruloids: Cardiac Versus Enteric Customization and Beyond. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2767:135-159. [PMID: 37284941 DOI: 10.1007/7651_2023_491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Trunk-biased human gastruloids provide the ability to couple developmentally relevant spinal neurogenesis and organ morphogenesis via spatiotemporal self-organization events from derivatives of the three germ layers. The multi-lineage nature of gastruloids provides the full complexity of regulatory signaling cues that surpasses directed organoids and lays the foundation for an ex vivo self-evolving system. Here we detail two distinct protocols for trunk-biased gastruloids from an elongated, polarized structure with coordinated organ-specific neural patterning. Following an induction phase to caudalize iPSCs to trunk phenotype, divergent features of organogenesis and end-organ innervation yield separate models of enteric and cardiac nervous system formation. Both protocols are permissive to multi-lineage development and allow the study of neural integration events within a native, embryo-like context. We discuss the customizability of human gastruloids and the optimization of initial and extended conditions that maintain a permissive environment for multi-lineage differentiation and integration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary T Olmsted
- State University of New York Polytechnic Institute, College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, Nanobioscience, Albany, NY, USA
- University of California Los Angeles, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Department of Neurosurgery, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Maria Belen Paredes-Espinosa
- State University of New York Polytechnic Institute, College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, Nanobioscience, Albany, NY, USA
| | - Janet L Paluh
- State University of New York Polytechnic Institute, College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, Nanobioscience, Albany, NY, USA
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5
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Tophkhane SS, Richman JM. Tissues and signals with true organizer properties in craniofacial development. Curr Top Dev Biol 2023; 157:67-82. [PMID: 38556459 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2023.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/02/2024]
Abstract
Transplantation experiments have shown that a true organizer provides instructive signals that induce and pattern ectopic structures in the responding tissue. Here, we review craniofacial experiments to identify tissues with organizer properties and signals with organizer properties. In particular, we evaluate whether transformation of identity took place in the mesenchyme. Using these stringent criteria, we find the strongest evidence for the avian foregut ectoderm. Transplanting a piece of quail foregut endoderm to a host chicken embryo caused ectopic beaks to form derived from chicken mesenchyme. The beak identity, whether upper or lower as well as orientation, was controlled by the original anterior-posterior position of the donor endoderm. There is also good evidence that the nasal pit is necessary and sufficient for lateral nasal patterning. Finally, we review signals that have organizer properties on their own without the need for tissue transplants. Mouse germline knockouts of the endothelin pathway result in transformation of identity of the mandible into a maxilla. Application of noggin-soaked beads to post-migratory neural crest cells transforms maxillary identity. This suggests that endothelin or noggin rich ectoderm could be organizers (not tested). In conclusion, craniofacial, neural crest-derived mesenchyme is competent to respond to tissues with organizer properties, also originating in the head. In future, we can exploit such well defined systems to dissect the molecular changes that ultimately lead to patterning of the upper and lower jaw.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shruti S Tophkhane
- Life Sciences Institute and Faculty of Dentistry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Joy M Richman
- Life Sciences Institute and Faculty of Dentistry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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6
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Alzamrooni A, Mendes Vieira P, Murciano N, Wolton M, Schubert FR, Robson SC, Dietrich S. Cardiac competence of the paraxial head mesoderm fades concomitant with a shift towards the head skeletal muscle programme. Dev Biol 2023; 501:39-59. [PMID: 37301464 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2023.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2022] [Revised: 06/03/2023] [Accepted: 06/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The vertebrate head mesoderm provides the heart, the great vessels, some smooth and most head skeletal muscle, in addition to parts of the skull. It has been speculated that the ability to generate cardiac and smooth muscle is the evolutionary ground-state of the tissue. However, whether indeed the entire head mesoderm has generic cardiac competence, how long this may last, and what happens as cardiac competence fades, is not clear. Bone morphogenetic proteins (Bmps) are known to promote cardiogenesis. Using 41 different marker genes in the chicken embryo, we show that the paraxial head mesoderm that normally does not engage in cardiogenesis has the ability to respond to Bmp for a long time. However, Bmp signals are interpreted differently at different time points. Up to early head fold stages, the paraxial head mesoderm is able to read Bmps as signal to engage in the cardiac programme; the ability to upregulate smooth muscle markers is retained slightly longer. Notably, as cardiac competence fades, Bmp promotes the head skeletal muscle programme instead. The switch from cardiac to skeletal muscle competence is Wnt-independent as Wnt caudalises the head mesoderm and also suppresses Msc-inducing Bmp provided by the prechordal plate, thus suppressing both the cardiac and the head skeletal muscle programmes. Our study for the first time suggests a specific transition state in the embryo when cardiac competence is replaced by skeletal muscle competence. It sets the stage to unravel the cardiac-skeletal muscle antagonism that is known to partially collapse in heart failure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Afnan Alzamrooni
- Institute of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK
| | - Petra Mendes Vieira
- Institute of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK
| | - Nicoletta Murciano
- Institute of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK; Nanion Technologies GmbH, Ganghoferstr. 70A, DE - 80339, München, Germany; Saarland University, Theoretical Medicine and Biosciences, Kirrbergerstr. 100, DE - 66424, Homburg, Germany
| | - Matthew Wolton
- Institute of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK
| | - Frank R Schubert
- Institute of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK
| | - Samuel C Robson
- Institute of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Science & Health, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK
| | - Susanne Dietrich
- Institute of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK.
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7
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Hack JM, Anwar NZ, Jackson JG, Furth ME, Varner VD. Quantifying endodermal strains during heart tube formation in the developing chicken embryo. J Biomech 2023; 149:111481. [PMID: 36787674 PMCID: PMC10163833 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2023.111481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Revised: 12/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
In the early avian embryo, the developing heart forms when bilateral fields of cardiac progenitor cells, which reside in the lateral plate mesoderm, move toward the embryonic midline, and fuse above the anterior intestinal portal (AIP) to form a straight, muscle-wrapped tube. During this process, the precardiac mesoderm remains in close contact with the underlying endoderm. Previous work has shown that the endoderm around the AIP actively contracts to pull the cardiac progenitors toward the midline. The morphogenetic deformations associated with this endodermal convergence, however, remain unclear, as do the signaling pathways that might regulate this process. Here, we fluorescently labeled populations of endodermal cells in early chicken embryos and tracked their motion during heart tube formation to compute time-varying strains along the anterior endoderm. We then determined how the computed endodermal strain distributions are affected by the pharmacological inhibition of either myosin II or fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling. Our data indicate that a mediolateral gradient in endodermal shortening is present around the AIP, as well as substantial convergence and extension movements both anterior and lateral to the AIP. These active endodermal deformations are disrupted if either actomyosin contractility or FGF signaling are inhibited pharmacologically. Taken together, these results demonstrate how active deformations along the anterior endoderm contribute to heart tube formation within the developing embryo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua M Hack
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, United States
| | - Nareen Z Anwar
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, United States
| | - John G Jackson
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, United States
| | - Meagan E Furth
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, United States
| | - Victor D Varner
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, United States; Department of Surgery, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, United States.
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8
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Wnt/β-catenin signalling is required for pole-specific chromatin remodeling during planarian regeneration. Nat Commun 2023; 14:298. [PMID: 36653403 PMCID: PMC9849279 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-35937-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
For successful regeneration, the identity of the missing tissue must be specified according to the pre-existing tissue. Planarians are ideal for the study of the mechanisms underlying this process; the same field of cells can regrow a head or a tail according to the missing body part. After amputation, the differential activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signal specifies anterior versus posterior identity. Initially, both wnt1 and notum (Wnt inhibitor) are expressed in all wounds, but 48 hours later they are restricted to posterior or anterior facing wounds, respectively, by an unknown mechanism. Here we show that 12 hours after amputation, the chromatin accessibility of cells in the wound region changes according to the polarity of the pre-existing tissue in a Wnt/β-catenin-dependent manner. Genomic analyses suggest that homeobox transcription factors and chromatin-remodeling proteins are direct Wnt/β-catenin targets, which trigger the expression of posterior effectors. Finally, we identify FoxG as a wnt1 up-stream regulator, probably via binding to its first intron enhancer region.
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9
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Olmsted ZT, Paluh JL. A combined human gastruloid model of cardiogenesis and neurogenesis. iScience 2022; 25:104486. [PMID: 35721464 PMCID: PMC9198845 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2021] [Revised: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Multi-lineage development from gastruloids is enabling unprecedented opportunities to model and study human embryonic processes and is expected to accelerate ex vivo strategies in organ development. Reproducing human cardiogenesis with neurogenesis in a multi-lineage context remains challenging, requiring spatiotemporal input of paracrine and mechanical cues. Here we extend elongating multi-lineage organized (EMLO) gastruloids to include cardiogenesis (EMLOC) and describe interconnected neuro-cardiac lineages in a single gastruloid model. Contractile EMLOCs recapitulate numerous interlinked developmental features including heart tube formation and specialization, cardiomyocyte differentiation and remodeling phases, epicardium, ventricular wall morphogenesis, chamber-like structures and formation of a putative outflow tract. The EMLOC cardiac region, which originates anterior to gut tube primordium, is progressively populated by neurons in a spatial pattern mirroring the known distribution of neurons in the innervated human heart. This human EMLOC model represents a multi-lineage advancement for the study of coincident neurogenesis and cardiogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary T. Olmsted
- State University of New York Polytechnic Institute, College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, Nanobioscience, Nanofab East, 257 Fuller Road, Albany, NY 12203, USA
| | - Janet L. Paluh
- State University of New York Polytechnic Institute, College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, Nanobioscience, Nanofab East, 257 Fuller Road, Albany, NY 12203, USA
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10
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Williams RM, Lukoseviciute M, Sauka-Spengler T, Bronner ME. Single-cell atlas of early chick development reveals gradual segregation of neural crest lineage from the neural plate border during neurulation. eLife 2022; 11:74464. [PMID: 35088714 PMCID: PMC8798042 DOI: 10.7554/elife.74464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The epiblast of vertebrate embryos is comprised of neural and non-neural ectoderm, with the border territory at their intersection harboring neural crest and cranial placode progenitors. Here, we a generate single-cell atlas of the developing chick epiblast from late gastrulation through early neurulation stages to define transcriptional changes in the emerging ‘neural plate border’ as well as other regions of the epiblast. Focusing on the border territory, the results reveal gradual establishment of heterogeneous neural plate border signatures, including novel genes that we validate by fluorescent in situ hybridization. Developmental trajectory analysis infers that segregation of neural plate border lineages only commences at early neurulation, rather than at gastrulation as previously predicted. We find that cells expressing the prospective neural crest marker Pax7 contribute to multiple lineages, and a subset of premigratory neural crest cells shares a transcriptional signature with their border precursors. Together, our results suggest that cells at the neural plate border remain heterogeneous until early neurulation, at which time progenitors become progressively allocated toward defined neural crest and placode lineages. The data also can be mined to reveal changes throughout the developing epiblast.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth M Williams
- California Institute of Technology, Division of Biology and Biological engineering, Pasadena, United States.,University of Oxford, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Martyna Lukoseviciute
- University of Oxford, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Tatjana Sauka-Spengler
- University of Oxford, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Marianne E Bronner
- California Institute of Technology, Division of Biology and Biological engineering, Pasadena, United States
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11
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Dissecting the Complexity of Early Heart Progenitor Cells. J Cardiovasc Dev Dis 2021; 9:jcdd9010005. [PMID: 35050215 PMCID: PMC8779398 DOI: 10.3390/jcdd9010005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Revised: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Early heart development depends on the coordinated participation of heterogeneous cell sources. As pioneer work from Adriana C. Gittenberger-de Groot demonstrated, characterizing these distinct cell sources helps us to understand congenital heart defects. Despite decades of research on the segregation of lineages that form the primitive heart tube, we are far from understanding its full complexity. Currently, single-cell approaches are providing an unprecedented level of detail on cellular heterogeneity, offering new opportunities to decipher its functional role. In this review, we will focus on three key aspects of early heart morphogenesis: First, the segregation of myocardial and endocardial lineages, which yields an early lineage diversification in cardiac development; second, the signaling cues driving differentiation in these progenitor cells; and third, the transcriptional heterogeneity of cardiomyocyte progenitors of the primitive heart tube. Finally, we discuss how single-cell transcriptomics and epigenomics, together with live imaging and functional analyses, will likely transform the way we delve into the complexity of cardiac development and its links with congenital defects.
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12
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Silva AC, Matthys OB, Joy DA, Kauss MA, Natarajan V, Lai MH, Turaga D, Blair AP, Alexanian M, Bruneau BG, McDevitt TC. Co-emergence of cardiac and gut tissues promotes cardiomyocyte maturation within human iPSC-derived organoids. Cell Stem Cell 2021; 28:2137-2152.e6. [PMID: 34861147 DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2021.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2020] [Revised: 02/13/2021] [Accepted: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
During embryogenesis, paracrine signaling between tissues in close proximity contributes to the determination of their respective cell fate(s) and development into functional organs. Organoids are in vitro models that mimic organ formation and cellular heterogeneity, but lack the paracrine input of surrounding tissues. Here, we describe a human multilineage iPSC-derived organoid that recapitulates cooperative cardiac and gut development and maturation, with extensive cellular and structural complexity in both tissues. We demonstrate that the presence of endoderm tissue (gut/intestine) in the organoids contributed to the development of cardiac tissue features characteristic of stages after heart tube formation, including cardiomyocyte expansion, compartmentalization, enrichment of atrial/nodal cells, myocardial compaction, and fetal-like functional maturation. Overall, this study demonstrates the ability to generate and mature cooperative tissues originating from different germ lineages within a single organoid model, an advance that will further the examination of multi-tissue interactions during development, physiological maturation, and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana C Silva
- Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Oriane B Matthys
- Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; UC Berkeley-UC San Francisco Graduate Program in Bioengineering, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - David A Joy
- Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; UC Berkeley-UC San Francisco Graduate Program in Bioengineering, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Mara A Kauss
- Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; UC San Francisco Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Benoit G Bruneau
- Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Roddenberry Center for Stem Cell Biology and Medicine at Gladstone, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Todd C McDevitt
- Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
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13
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Kumar V, Park S, Lee U, Kim J. The Organizer and Its Signaling in Embryonic Development. J Dev Biol 2021; 9:jdb9040047. [PMID: 34842722 PMCID: PMC8628936 DOI: 10.3390/jdb9040047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Revised: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Germ layer specification and axis formation are crucial events in embryonic development. The Spemann organizer regulates the early developmental processes by multiple regulatory mechanisms. This review focuses on the responsive signaling in organizer formation and how the organizer orchestrates the germ layer specification in vertebrates. Accumulated evidence indicates that the organizer influences embryonic development by dual signaling. Two parallel processes, the migration of the organizer’s cells, followed by the transcriptional activation/deactivation of target genes, and the diffusion of secreting molecules, collectively direct the early development. Finally, we take an in-depth look at active signaling that originates from the organizer and involves germ layer specification and patterning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vijay Kumar
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Cell Differentiation and Aging, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Chuncheon 24252, Korea;
| | - Soochul Park
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sookmyung Women’s University, Seoul 04310, Korea;
| | - Unjoo Lee
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Hallym University, Chuncheon 24252, Korea
- Correspondence: (U.L.); (J.K.); Tel.: +82-33-248-2544 (J.K.); Fax: +82-33-244-8425 (J.K.)
| | - Jaebong Kim
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Cell Differentiation and Aging, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Chuncheon 24252, Korea;
- Correspondence: (U.L.); (J.K.); Tel.: +82-33-248-2544 (J.K.); Fax: +82-33-244-8425 (J.K.)
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14
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Olmsted ZT, Paluh JL. Co-development of central and peripheral neurons with trunk mesendoderm in human elongating multi-lineage organized gastruloids. Nat Commun 2021; 12:3020. [PMID: 34021144 PMCID: PMC8140076 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23294-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2020] [Accepted: 04/20/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Stem cell technologies including self-assembling 3D tissue models provide access to early human neurodevelopment and fundamental insights into neuropathologies. Gastruloid models have not been used to investigate co-developing central and peripheral neuronal systems with trunk mesendoderm which we achieve here in elongating multi-lineage organized (EMLO) gastruloids. We evaluate EMLOs over a forty-day period, applying immunofluorescence of multi-lineage and functional biomarkers, including day 16 single-cell RNA-Seq, and evaluation of ectodermal and non-ectodermal neural crest cells (NCCs). We identify NCCs that differentiate to form peripheral neurons integrated with an upstream spinal cord region after day 8. This follows initial EMLO polarization events that coordinate with endoderm differentiation and primitive gut tube formation during multicellular spatial reorganization. This combined human central-peripheral nervous system model of early organogenesis highlights developmental events of mesendoderm and neuromuscular trunk regions and enables systemic studies of tissue interactions and innervation of neuromuscular, enteric and cardiac relevance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary T Olmsted
- State University of New York Polytechnic Institute, College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, Nanobioscience Constellation, Albany, NY, USA
| | - Janet L Paluh
- State University of New York Polytechnic Institute, College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, Nanobioscience Constellation, Albany, NY, USA.
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Ivanovitch K, Soro-Barrio P, Chakravarty P, Jones RA, Bell DM, Mousavy Gharavy SN, Stamataki D, Delile J, Smith JC, Briscoe J. Ventricular, atrial, and outflow tract heart progenitors arise from spatially and molecularly distinct regions of the primitive streak. PLoS Biol 2021; 19:e3001200. [PMID: 33999917 PMCID: PMC8158918 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2020] [Revised: 05/27/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The heart develops from 2 sources of mesoderm progenitors, the first and second heart field (FHF and SHF). Using a single-cell transcriptomic assay combined with genetic lineage tracing and live imaging, we find the FHF and SHF are subdivided into distinct pools of progenitors in gastrulating mouse embryos at earlier stages than previously thought. Each subpopulation has a distinct origin in the primitive streak. The first progenitors to leave the primitive streak contribute to the left ventricle, shortly after right ventricle progenitor emigrate, followed by the outflow tract and atrial progenitors. Moreover, a subset of atrial progenitors are gradually incorporated in posterior locations of the FHF. Although cells allocated to the outflow tract and atrium leave the primitive streak at a similar stage, they arise from different regions. Outflow tract cells originate from distal locations in the primitive streak while atrial progenitors are positioned more proximally. Moreover, single-cell RNA sequencing demonstrates that the primitive streak cells contributing to the ventricles have a distinct molecular signature from those forming the outflow tract and atrium. We conclude that cardiac progenitors are prepatterned within the primitive streak and this prefigures their allocation to distinct anatomical structures of the heart. Together, our data provide a new molecular and spatial map of mammalian cardiac progenitors that will support future studies of heart development, function, and disease.
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16
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Iacobas S, Amuzescu B, Iacobas DA. Transcriptomic uniqueness and commonality of the ion channels and transporters in the four heart chambers. Sci Rep 2021; 11:2743. [PMID: 33531573 PMCID: PMC7854717 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-82383-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2020] [Accepted: 01/03/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Myocardium transcriptomes of left and right atria and ventricles from four adult male C57Bl/6j mice were profiled with Agilent microarrays to identify the differences responsible for the distinct functional roles of the four heart chambers. Female mice were not investigated owing to their transcriptome dependence on the estrous cycle phase. Out of the quantified 16,886 unigenes, 15.76% on the left side and 16.5% on the right side exhibited differential expression between the atrium and the ventricle, while 5.8% of genes were differently expressed between the two atria and only 1.2% between the two ventricles. The study revealed also chamber differences in gene expression control and coordination. We analyzed ion channels and transporters, and genes within the cardiac muscle contraction, oxidative phosphorylation, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, calcium and adrenergic signaling pathways. Interestingly, while expression of Ank2 oscillates in phase with all 27 quantified binding partners in the left ventricle, the percentage of in-phase oscillating partners of Ank2 is 15% and 37% in the left and right atria and 74% in the right ventricle. The analysis indicated high interventricular synchrony of the ion channels expressions and the substantially lower synchrony between the two atria and between the atrium and the ventricle from the same side.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanda Iacobas
- Department of Pathology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, 10595, USA
| | - Bogdan Amuzescu
- Department Biophysics and Physiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Dumitru A Iacobas
- Personalized Genomics Laboratory, Center for Computational Systems Biology, Roy G. Perry College of Engineering, Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, TX, 77446, USA. .,DP Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY, 10461, USA.
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17
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WNT-FRIZZLED-LRP5/6 Signaling Mediates Posterior Fate and Proliferation during Planarian Regeneration. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:genes12010101. [PMID: 33467529 PMCID: PMC7830089 DOI: 10.3390/genes12010101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Revised: 12/31/2020] [Accepted: 01/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
An organizer is defined as a group of cells that secrete extracellular proteins that specify the fate of surrounding cells according to their concentration. Their function during embryogenesis is key in patterning new growing tissues. Although organizers should also participate in adult development when new structures are regenerated, their presence in adults has only been identified in a few species with striking regenerative abilities, such as planarians. Planarians provide a unique model to understand the function of adult organizers, since the presence of adult pluripotent stem cells provides them with the ability to regenerate any body part. Previous studies have shown that the differential activation of the WNT/β-catenin signal in each wound is fundamental to establish an anterior or a posterior organizer in the corresponding wound. Here, we identify the receptors that mediate the WNT/β-catenin signal in posterior-facing wounds. We found that Wnt1-Fzd1-LRP5/6 signaling is evolutionarily conserved in executing a WNT/β-catenin signal to specify cell fate and to trigger a proliferative response. Our data allow a better understanding of the mechanism through which organizers signal to a “competent” field of cells and integrate the patterning and growth required during de novo formation of organs and tissues.
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18
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Wittig JG, Münsterberg A. The Chicken as a Model Organism to Study Heart Development. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol 2020; 12:cshperspect.a037218. [PMID: 31767650 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a037218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Heart development is a complex process and begins with the long-range migration of cardiac progenitor cells during gastrulation. This culminates in the formation of a simple contractile tube with multiple layers, which undergoes remodeling into a four-chambered heart. During this morphogenesis, additional cell populations become incorporated. It is important to unravel the underlying genetic and cellular mechanisms to be able to identify the embryonic origin of diseases, including congenital malformations, which impair cardiac function and may affect life expectancy or quality. Owing to the evolutionary conservation of development, observations made in nonamniote and amniote vertebrate species allow us to extrapolate to human. This review will focus on the contributions made to a better understanding of heart development through studying avian embryos-mainly the chicken but also quail embryos. We will illustrate the classic and recent approaches used in the avian system, give an overview of the important discoveries made, and summarize the early stages of cardiac development up to the establishment of the four-chambered heart.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes G Wittig
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom
| | - Andrea Münsterberg
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom
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19
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Transplantation of Neural Tissue: Quail-Chick Chimeras. Methods Mol Biol 2019. [PMID: 31552671 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-9732-9_26] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register]
Abstract
Tissue transplantation is an important approach in developmental neurobiology to determine cell fate, to uncover inductive interactions required for tissue specification and patterning as well as to establish tissue competence and commitment. Combined with state-of-the-art molecular approaches, transplantation assays have been instrumental for the discovery of gene regulatory networks controlling cell fate choices and how such networks change over time. Avian species are among the favorite model systems for these approaches because of their accessibility and relatively large size. Here we describe two culture techniques used to generate quail-chick chimeras at different embryonic stages and methods to distinguish graft and donor tissue.
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Abstract
Organizers, which comprise groups of cells with the ability to instruct adjacent cells into specific states, represent a key principle in developmental biology. The concept was first introduced by Spemann and Mangold, who showed that there is a cellular population in the newt embryo that elicits the development of a secondary axis from adjacent cells. Similar experiments in chicken and rabbit embryos subsequently revealed groups of cells with similar instructive potential. In birds and mammals, organizer activity is often associated with a structure known as the node, which has thus been considered a functional homologue of Spemann's organizer. Here, we take an in-depth look at the structure and function of organizers across species and note that, whereas the amphibian organizer is a contingent collection of elements, each performing a specific function, the elements of organizers in other species are dispersed in time and space. This observation urges us to reconsider the universality and meaning of the organizer concept. Summary: This Review re-evaluates the notion of Spemann's organizer as identified in amphibians, highlighting the spatiotemporal dispersion of equivalent elements in mouse and the key influence of responsiveness to organizer signals.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ben Steventon
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EH, UK
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21
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Growth and Morphogenesis during Early Heart Development in Amniotes. J Cardiovasc Dev Dis 2017; 4:jcdd4040020. [PMID: 29367549 PMCID: PMC5753121 DOI: 10.3390/jcdd4040020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2017] [Revised: 11/17/2017] [Accepted: 11/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In this review, we will focus on the growth and morphogenesis of the developing heart, an aspect of cardiovascular development to which Antoon Moorman and colleagues have extensively contributed. Over the last decades, genetic studies and characterization of regionally regulated gene programs have provided abundant novel insights into heart development essential to understand the basis of congenital heart disease. Heart morphogenesis, however, is inherently a complex and dynamic three-dimensional process and we are far from understanding its cellular basis. Here, we discuss recent advances in studying heart morphogenesis and regionalization under the light of the pioneering work of Moorman and colleagues, which allowed the reinterpretation of regional gene expression patterns under a new morphogenetic framework. Two aspects of early heart formation will be discussed in particular: (1) the initial formation of the heart tube and (2) the formation of the cardiac chambers by the ballooning process. Finally, we emphasize that in addition to analyses based on fixed samples, new approaches including clonal analysis, single-cell sequencing, live-imaging and quantitative analysis of the data generated will likely lead to novel insights in understanding early heart tube regionalization and morphogenesis in the near future.
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