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Guerrero P, Perez-Carrasco R. Choice of friction coefficient deeply affects tissue behaviour in stochastic epithelial vertex models. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20230051. [PMID: 38432320 PMCID: PMC10909505 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2023.0051] [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: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2024] Open
Abstract
To understand the mechanisms that coordinate the formation of biological tissues, the use of numerical implementations is necessary. The complexity of such models involves many assumptions and parameter choices that result in unpredictable consequences, obstructing the comparison with experimental data. Here, we focus on vertex models, a family of spatial models used extensively to simulate the dynamics of epithelial tissues. Usually, in the literature, the choice of the friction coefficient is not addressed using quasi-static deformation arguments that generally do not apply to realistic scenarios. In this manuscript, we discuss the role that the choice of friction coefficient has on the relaxation times and consequently in the conditions of cell cycle progression and division. We explore the effects that these changes have on the morphology, growth rate and topological transitions of the tissue dynamics. These results provide a deeper understanding of the role that an accurate mechanical description plays in the use of vertex models as inference tools. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Causes and consequences of stochastic processes in development and disease'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pilar Guerrero
- Grupo Interdisciplinar de Sistemas Complejos, Departamento de Matemáticas, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, 28911 Leganés, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ruben Perez-Carrasco
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, South Kensington, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
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2
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Melo S, Guerrero P, Moreira Soares M, Bordin JR, Carneiro F, Carneiro P, Dias MB, Carvalho J, Figueiredo J, Seruca R, Travasso RDM. The ECM and tissue architecture are major determinants of early invasion mediated by E-cadherin dysfunction. Commun Biol 2023; 6:1132. [PMID: 37938268 PMCID: PMC10632478 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05482-x] [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: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Germline mutations of E-cadherin cause Hereditary Diffuse Gastric Cancer (HDGC), a highly invasive cancer syndrome characterised by the occurrence of diffuse-type gastric carcinoma and lobular breast cancer. In this disease, E-cadherin-defective cells are detected invading the adjacent stroma since very early stages. Although E-cadherin loss is well established as a triggering event, other determinants of the invasive process persist largely unknown. Herein, we develop an experimental strategy that comprises in vitro extrusion assays using E-cadherin mutants associated to HDGC, as well as mathematical models epitomising epithelial dynamics and its interaction with the extracellular matrix (ECM). In vitro, we verify that E-cadherin dysfunctional cells detach from the epithelial monolayer and extrude basally into the ECM. Through phase-field modelling we demonstrate that, aside from loss of cell-cell adhesion, increased ECM attachment further raises basal extrusion efficiency. Importantly, by combining phase-field and vertex model simulations, we show that the cylindrical structure of gastric glands strongly promotes the cell's invasive ability. Moreover, we validate our findings using a dissipative particle dynamics simulation of epithelial extrusion. Overall, we provide the first evidence that cancer cell invasion is the outcome of defective cell-cell linkages, abnormal interplay with the ECM, and a favourable 3D tissue structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soraia Melo
- i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Ipatimup - Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Pilar Guerrero
- Departamento de Matemáticas and Grupo Interdisciplinar de Sistemas Complejos (GISC), Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Leganés, Spain
| | - Maurício Moreira Soares
- Oslo Center for Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - José Rafael Bordin
- Department of Physics, Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Federal University of Pelotas, Capão do Leão, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Fátima Carneiro
- i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Ipatimup - Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Patrícia Carneiro
- i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Ipatimup - Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Maria Beatriz Dias
- CISUC, Department of Informatics Engineering, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - João Carvalho
- CFisUC, Department of Physics, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Joana Figueiredo
- i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
- Ipatimup - Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
| | - Raquel Seruca
- i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Ipatimup - Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Rui D M Travasso
- CFisUC, Department of Physics, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
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3
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Bocanegra-Moreno L, Singh A, Hannezo E, Zagorski M, Kicheva A. Cell cycle dynamics control fluidity of the developing mouse neuroepithelium. NATURE PHYSICS 2023; 19:1050-1058. [PMID: 37456593 PMCID: PMC10344780 DOI: 10.1038/s41567-023-01977-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
As developing tissues grow in size and undergo morphogenetic changes, their material properties may be altered. Such changes result from tension dynamics at cell contacts or cellular jamming. Yet, in many cases, the cellular mechanisms controlling the physical state of growing tissues are unclear. We found that at early developmental stages, the epithelium in the developing mouse spinal cord maintains both high junctional tension and high fluidity. This is achieved via a mechanism in which interkinetic nuclear movements generate cell area dynamics that drive extensive cell rearrangements. Over time, the cell proliferation rate declines, effectively solidifying the tissue. Thus, unlike well-studied jamming transitions, the solidification uncovered here resembles a glass transition that depends on the dynamical stresses generated by proliferation and differentiation. Our finding that the fluidity of developing epithelia is linked to interkinetic nuclear movements and the dynamics of growth is likely to be relevant to multiple developing tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Amrita Singh
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Edouard Hannezo
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Marcin Zagorski
- Institute of Theoretical Physics and Mark Kac Center for Complex Systems Research, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Anna Kicheva
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Klosterneuburg, Austria
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4
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Sutlive J, Seyyedhosseinzadeh H, Ao Z, Xiu H, Choudhury S, Gou K, Guo F, Chen Z. Mechanics of morphogenesis in neural development: In vivo, in vitro, and in silico. BRAIN MULTIPHYSICS 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brain.2022.100062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
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5
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Rashid A, Tevlin M, Lu Y, Shaham S. A developmental pathway for epithelial-to-motoneuron transformation in C. elegans. Cell Rep 2022; 40:111414. [PMID: 36170838 PMCID: PMC9579992 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Revised: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Motoneurons and motoneuron-like pancreatic β cells arise from radial glia and ductal cells, respectively, both tube-lining progenitors that share molecular regulators. To uncover programs underlying motoneuron formation, we studied a similar, cell-division-independent transformation of the C. elegans tube-lining Y cell into the PDA motoneuron. We find that lin-12/Notch acts through ngn-1/Ngn and its regulator hlh-16/Olig to control transformation timing. lin-12 loss blocks transformation, while lin-12(gf) promotes precocious PDA formation. Early basal expression of ngn-1/Ngn and hlh-16/Olig depends on sem-4/Sall and egl-5/Hox. Later, coincident with Y cell morphological changes, ngn-1/Ngn expression is upregulated in a sem-4/Sall and egl-5/Hox-dependent but hlh-16/Olig-independent manner. Subsequently, Y cell retrograde extension forms an anchored process priming PDA axon extension. Extension requires ngn-1-dependent expression of the cytoskeleton organizers UNC-119, UNC-44/ANK, and UNC-33/CRMP, which also activate PDA terminal-gene expression. Our findings uncover cell-division-independent regulatory events leading to motoneuron generation, suggesting a conserved pathway for epithelial-to-motoneuron/motoneuron-like cell differentiation. Rashid et al. report on a conserved epithelial-to-motoneuron transformation pathway in C. elegans requiring ngn-1/Ngn and hlh-16/Olig. lin-12/Notch regulates transformation timing through these genes, while ngn-1/Ngn and hlh-16/Olig expression levels are regulated by sem-4/Sall and egl-5/Hox. Unexpectedly, the cytoskeleton organizers UNC-119, UNC-44, and UNC-33, which are ngn-1/Ngn targets, promote motoneuron terminal identity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alina Rashid
- Laboratory of Developmental Genetics, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Maya Tevlin
- Laboratory of Developmental Genetics, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Yun Lu
- Laboratory of Developmental Genetics, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Shai Shaham
- Laboratory of Developmental Genetics, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA.
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6
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Belmonte-Mateos C, Pujades C. From Cell States to Cell Fates: How Cell Proliferation and Neuronal Differentiation Are Coordinated During Embryonic Development. Front Neurosci 2022; 15:781160. [PMID: 35046768 PMCID: PMC8761814 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.781160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The central nervous system (CNS) exhibits an extraordinary diversity of neurons, with the right cell types and proportions at the appropriate sites. Thus, to produce brains with specific size and cell composition, the rates of proliferation and differentiation must be tightly coordinated and balanced during development. Early on, proliferation dominates; later on, the growth rate almost ceases as more cells differentiate and exit the cell cycle. Generation of cell diversity and morphogenesis takes place concomitantly. In the vertebrate brain, this results in dramatic changes in the position of progenitor cells and their neuronal derivatives, whereas in the spinal cord morphogenetic changes are not so important because the structure mainly grows by increasing its volume. Morphogenesis is under control of specific genetic programs that coordinately unfold over time; however, little is known about how they operate and impact in the pools of progenitor cells in the CNS. Thus, the spatiotemporal coordination of these processes is fundamental for generating functional neuronal networks. Some key aims in developmental neurobiology are to determine how cell diversity arises from pluripotent progenitor cells, and how the progenitor potential changes upon time. In this review, we will share our view on how the advance of new technologies provides novel data that challenge some of the current hypothesis. We will cover some of the latest studies on cell lineage tracing and clonal analyses addressing the role of distinct progenitor cell division modes in balancing the rate of proliferation and differentiation during brain morphogenesis. We will discuss different hypothesis proposed to explain how progenitor cell diversity is generated and how they challenged prevailing concepts and raised new questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla Belmonte-Mateos
- Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Cristina Pujades
- Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
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7
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Lenne PF, Munro E, Heemskerk I, Warmflash A, Bocanegra-Moreno L, Kishi K, Kicheva A, Long Y, Fruleux A, Boudaoud A, Saunders TE, Caldarelli P, Michaut A, Gros J, Maroudas-Sacks Y, Keren K, Hannezo E, Gartner ZJ, Stormo B, Gladfelter A, Rodrigues A, Shyer A, Minc N, Maître JL, Di Talia S, Khamaisi B, Sprinzak D, Tlili S. Roadmap for the multiscale coupling of biochemical and mechanical signals during development. Phys Biol 2021; 18. [PMID: 33276350 PMCID: PMC8380410 DOI: 10.1088/1478-3975/abd0db] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 12/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The way in which interactions between mechanics and biochemistry lead to the emergence of complex cell and tissue organization is an old question that has recently attracted renewed interest from biologists, physicists, mathematicians and computer scientists. Rapid advances in optical physics, microscopy and computational image analysis have greatly enhanced our ability to observe and quantify spatiotemporal patterns of signalling, force generation, deformation, and flow in living cells and tissues. Powerful new tools for genetic, biophysical and optogenetic manipulation are allowing us to perturb the underlying machinery that generates these patterns in increasingly sophisticated ways. Rapid advances in theory and computing have made it possible to construct predictive models that describe how cell and tissue organization and dynamics emerge from the local coupling of biochemistry and mechanics. Together, these advances have opened up a wealth of new opportunities to explore how mechanochemical patterning shapes organismal development. In this roadmap, we present a series of forward-looking case studies on mechanochemical patterning in development, written by scientists working at the interface between the physical and biological sciences, and covering a wide range of spatial and temporal scales, organisms, and modes of development. Together, these contributions highlight the many ways in which the dynamic coupling of mechanics and biochemistry shapes biological dynamics: from mechanoenzymes that sense force to tune their activity and motor output, to collectives of cells in tissues that flow and redistribute biochemical signals during development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre-François Lenne
- Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, IBDM, Turing Center for Living Systems, Marseille, France
| | - Edwin Munro
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, United States of America
| | - Idse Heemskerk
- Department of Cell & Developmental Biology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States of America
| | - Aryeh Warmflash
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77005, United States of America
| | | | - Kasumi Kishi
- IST Austria, Am Campus 1, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Anna Kicheva
- IST Austria, Am Campus 1, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Yuchen Long
- Reproduction et Dévelopement des Plantes, Université de Lyon, École normale supérieure de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, INRAe, CNRS, 69364 Lyon Cedex 07, France
| | - Antoine Fruleux
- Reproduction et Dévelopement des Plantes, Université de Lyon, École normale supérieure de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, INRAe, CNRS, 69364 Lyon Cedex 07, France.,LadHyX, CNRS, Ecole polytechnique, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, 91128 Palaiseau Cedex, France
| | - Arezki Boudaoud
- Reproduction et Dévelopement des Plantes, Université de Lyon, École normale supérieure de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, INRAe, CNRS, 69364 Lyon Cedex 07, France.,LadHyX, CNRS, Ecole polytechnique, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, 91128 Palaiseau Cedex, France
| | - Timothy E Saunders
- Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, 117411, Singapore
| | - Paolo Caldarelli
- Cellule Pasteur UPMC, Sorbonne Université, rue du Dr Roux, 75015 Paris, France.,Department of Developmental and Stem Cell Biology Institut Pasteur, 75724 Paris, Cedex 15, France.,CNRS UMR3738, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Arthur Michaut
- Department of Developmental and Stem Cell Biology Institut Pasteur, 75724 Paris, Cedex 15, France.,CNRS UMR3738, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Jerome Gros
- Department of Developmental and Stem Cell Biology Institut Pasteur, 75724 Paris, Cedex 15, France.,CNRS UMR3738, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Yonit Maroudas-Sacks
- Department of Physics, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel
| | - Kinneret Keren
- Department of Physics, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel.,Network Biology Research Laboratories and The Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel
| | - Edouard Hannezo
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Am Campus 1, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Zev J Gartner
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, 600 16th St. Box 2280, San Francisco, CA 94158, United States of America
| | - Benjamin Stormo
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 United States of America
| | - Amy Gladfelter
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 United States of America
| | - Alan Rodrigues
- Laboratory of Morphogenesis, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, United States of America
| | - Amy Shyer
- Laboratory of Morphogenesis, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, United States of America
| | - Nicolas Minc
- Institut Jacques Monod, Université de Paris, CNRS UMR7592, 15 rue Hélène Brion, 75205 Paris Cedex 13, France
| | - Jean-Léon Maître
- Institut Curie, PSL Research University, Sorbonne Université, CNRS UMR3215, INSERM U934, Paris, France
| | - Stefano Di Talia
- Department of Cell Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham NC 27710, United States of America
| | - Bassma Khamaisi
- School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry and Biophysics, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - David Sprinzak
- School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry and Biophysics, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Sham Tlili
- Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, IBDM, Turing Center for Living Systems, Marseille, France
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8
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Ruske LJ, Kursawe J, Tsakiridis A, Wilson V, Fletcher AG, Blythe RA, Schumacher LJ. Coupled differentiation and division of embryonic stem cells inferred from clonal snapshots. Phys Biol 2020; 17:065009. [DOI: 10.1088/1478-3975/aba041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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9
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Groves I, Placzek M, Fletcher AG. Of mitogens and morphogens: modelling Sonic Hedgehog mechanisms in vertebrate development. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20190660. [PMID: 32829689 PMCID: PMC7482217 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) Is a critical protein in vertebrate development, orchestrating patterning and growth in many developing systems. First described as a classic morphogen that patterns tissues through a spatial concentration gradient, subsequent studies have revealed a more complex mechanism, in which Shh can also regulate proliferation and differentiation. While the mechanism of action of Shh as a morphogen is well understood, it remains less clear how Shh might integrate patterning, proliferation and differentiation in a given tissue, to ultimately direct its morphogenesis. In tandem with experimental studies, mathematical modelling can help gain mechanistic insights into these processes and bridge the gap between Shh-regulated patterning and growth, by integrating these processes into a common theoretical framework. Here, we briefly review the roles of Shh in vertebrate development, focusing on its functions as a morphogen, mitogen and regulator of differentiation. We then discuss the contributions that modelling has made to our understanding of the action of Shh and highlight current challenges in using mathematical models in a quantitative and predictive way. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Contemporary morphogenesis'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian Groves
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Sheffield, Hicks Building, Hounsfield Road, Sheffield S3 7RH, UK
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Firth Court, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
- Bateson Centre, University of Sheffield, Firth Court, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - Marysia Placzek
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Firth Court, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
- Bateson Centre, University of Sheffield, Firth Court, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - Alexander G. Fletcher
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Sheffield, Hicks Building, Hounsfield Road, Sheffield S3 7RH, UK
- Bateson Centre, University of Sheffield, Firth Court, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
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10
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Kuzmicz-Kowalska K, Kicheva A. Regulation of size and scale in vertebrate spinal cord development. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY 2020; 10:e383. [PMID: 32391980 PMCID: PMC8244110 DOI: 10.1002/wdev.383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2019] [Revised: 03/25/2020] [Accepted: 04/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
All vertebrates have a spinal cord with dimensions and shape specific to their species. Yet how species‐specific organ size and shape are achieved is a fundamental unresolved question in biology. The formation and sculpting of organs begins during embryonic development. As it develops, the spinal cord extends in anterior–posterior direction in synchrony with the overall growth of the body. The dorsoventral (DV) and apicobasal lengths of the spinal cord neuroepithelium also change, while at the same time a characteristic pattern of neural progenitor subtypes along the DV axis is established and elaborated. At the basis of these changes in tissue size and shape are biophysical determinants, such as the change in cell number, cell size and shape, and anisotropic tissue growth. These processes are controlled by global tissue‐scale regulators, such as morphogen signaling gradients as well as mechanical forces. Current challenges in the field are to uncover how these tissue‐scale regulatory mechanisms are translated to the cellular and molecular level, and how regulation of distinct cellular processes gives rise to an overall defined size. Addressing these questions will help not only to achieve a better understanding of how size is controlled, but also of how tissue size is coordinated with the specification of pattern. This article is categorized under:Establishment of Spatial and Temporal Patterns > Regulation of Size, Proportion, and Timing Signaling Pathways > Global Signaling Mechanisms Nervous System Development > Vertebrates: General Principles
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