Cells and Development最新文献

{"title":"Functional attributes of the anterior mesendoderm in patterning the anterior neural structures during head formation in the mouse","authors":"Patrick P.L. Tam,&nbsp;Pragathi Masamsetti","doi":"10.1016/j.cdev.2025.203999","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cdev.2025.203999","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Induction of the neural ectoderm and the patterning of embryonic brain are the requisite organizing activity for head formation. Studies of loss-of-function mouse mutants that displayed a head truncation phenotype pointed to a key functional role of the anterior mesendoderm in anterior neural patterning. In this overview, we highlight the learning of the molecular attributes underpinning the formation of the anterior mesendoderm, the acquisition of ectoderm competence in the epiblast and the patterning of the embryonic brain during gastrulation and neurulation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36123,"journal":{"name":"Cells and Development","volume":"184 ","pages":"Article 203999"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143068259","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Tissue mechanics modulate morphogen signalling to induce the head organiser","authors":"Matyas Bubna-Litic ,&nbsp;Guillaume Charras ,&nbsp;Roberto Mayor","doi":"10.1016/j.cdev.2024.203984","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cdev.2024.203984","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Morphogenetic movements and specification of germ layers during gastrulation are key processes that establish the vertebrate body plan. Despite substantial research into the role of tissue mechanics during gastrulation and detailed characterisation of the molecular signalling networks controlling fate determination, the interplay of mechanical cues and biochemical signals during fate specification is poorly understood. Morphogens that activate Activin/Nodal/Smad2 signalling play a key role in mesoderm induction and axial patterning. We investigate the interplay between a single molecular input and a mechanical input using the well-established <em>ex vivo</em> system of Activin-induced explants of the mid-blastula <em>X. laevis</em> animal cap ectoderm. Activin alone induces mesoderm to form a complex elongating tissue with axial patterning, making this system similar to gastruloids generated in other model organisms. We observed an increase in the expression of dorsal mesoderm markers, such as <em>chordin</em> and <em>goosecoid</em>, and loss of elongation, in Activin-induced explants that were mechanically stimulated through uniaxial compression during the induction period. In addition, head mesoderm specific markers, including <em>cerberus 1</em>, were also increased. We show that mechanical stimulation leads to an increase in nuclear β-catenin activity. Activation of β-catenin signalling is sufficient to induce head Organiser gene expression. Furthermore, inhibition of β-catenin is sufficient to rescue the effect of compression on an early Wnt-signalling response gene <em>siamois</em>. Taken together these observations support the role of mechanical stimulation in modulating Activin-dependent mesoderm induction in favour of head Organiser formation. Given the conserved role of β-catenin in the dorsal specification and the dynamic morphogenetic movements of dorsal gastrula regions, mechanics-dependent Organiser induction may be found in other vertebrate species. Finally, the finding that mechanical cues affect β-catenin-dependent axial specification can be applied in the future development of more biologically relevant and robust synthetic organoid systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36123,"journal":{"name":"Cells and Development","volume":"184 ","pages":"Article 203984"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142781203","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mucociliary cell type compositions - bridging the gap between genes and emergent tissue functions","authors":"Peter Walentek","doi":"10.1016/j.cdev.2025.204019","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cdev.2025.204019","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>When multiple cell types are brought together to form a tissue-specific collective, the combination of cell functions and cell-cell interactions leads to novel behaviors and properties beyond the simple addition of individual features, often referred to as emergent tissue functions. During evolution, functional adaptations in organs are significantly influenced by changes in cell type compositions, and in diseases, aberrations in cell type compositions result in impaired organ functions. Investigating the mechanisms that regulate cell type compositions could elucidate an important organizational meta-level that bridges gene functions and cellular features de facto facilitating the emergence of collective cell behaviors and novel tissue functions. Due to their unique evolutionary positioning and diverse functions, mucociliary epithelia could provide an optimal system to unravel principle mechanisms of adaptations in cell type compositions that facilitate the evolution of new or optimization of existing tissue functions, and could reveal novel entry points to counteract human diseases. An integrative investigation of signaling, transcriptional, epigenetic and morphogenetic mechanisms across a broad range of mucociliary tissues with different specialized cells and cell type compositions can help us to connect gene functions and contributions to self-organized behaviors in cell collectives determining emergent tissue functions. Taking such route moving forward has the potential to unravel novel principles in mucociliary self-organization and to reveal broadly applicable principles underlying the generation and modification of emergent tissue functions across species and organ systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36123,"journal":{"name":"Cells and Development","volume":"184 ","pages":"Article 204019"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143587340","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Self-organization underlies developmental robustness in plants","authors":"Shuyao Kong ,&nbsp;Mingyuan Zhu ,&nbsp;Adrienne H.K. Roeder","doi":"10.1016/j.cdev.2024.203936","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cdev.2024.203936","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Development is a self-organized process that builds on cells and their interactions. Cells are heterogeneous in gene expression, growth, and division; yet how development is robust despite such heterogeneity is a fascinating question. Here, we review recent progress on this topic, highlighting how developmental robustness is achieved through self-organization. We will first discuss sources of heterogeneity, including stochastic gene expression, heterogeneity in growth rate and direction, and heterogeneity in division rate and precision. We then discuss cellular mechanisms that buffer against such noise, including Paf1C- and miRNA-mediated denoising, spatiotemporal growth averaging and compensation, mechanisms to improve cell division precision, and coordination of growth rate and developmental timing between different parts of an organ. We also discuss cases where such heterogeneity is not buffered but utilized for development. Finally, we highlight potential directions for future studies of noise and developmental robustness.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36123,"journal":{"name":"Cells and Development","volume":"184 ","pages":"Article 203936"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141499169","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dorsoventral patterning beyond the gastrulation stage: Interpretation of early dorsoventral cues and modular development mediated by zic1/zic4","authors":"Toru Kawanishi ,&nbsp;Hiroyuki Takeda","doi":"10.1016/j.cdev.2025.204012","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cdev.2025.204012","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Dorsoventral (DV) patterning is fundamental to vertebrate development, organizing the entire body across different germ layers. Although early DV axis formation, centered on the Spemann-Mangold organizer through the BMP activity gradient, has been extensively studied, the mechanisms shaping DV traits during later development remain largely unexplored. In this review, we highlight recent findings, especially from studies involving the <em>Double anal fin</em> (<em>Da</em>) spontaneous mutant of the small teleost medaka (<em>Oryzias latipes</em>), focusing on the roles of <em>zic1</em> and <em>zic4</em> (<em>zic1</em>/<em>zic4</em>) in regulating late DV patterning. These genes establish the dorsal domain of the trunk by converting the initial BMP gradient into distinct on/off spatial compartments within somites and their derivatives, acting as selector genes that define dorsal-specific traits, including myotome structure, body shape, and dorsal fin development. We also discuss how the <em>zic</em>-mediated dorsal domain is established and maintained from embryogenesis through adulthood. Furthermore, we provide evidence that <em>zic</em>-dependent action on the dorsal characteristics is dosage-dependent. We propose that the <em>zic1</em>/<em>zic4</em>-mediated DV patterning mechanism may represent a conserved regulatory framework that has been adapted to support the diverse body plans observed across vertebrate species.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36123,"journal":{"name":"Cells and Development","volume":"184 ","pages":"Article 204012"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143516734","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Homeotic transformation of tail to limbs: A novel morphogenesis in the framework of self-organization and reprogramming of cell fate during appendage regeneration","authors":"Jutshina Hota ,&nbsp;Swetamudra Pattnaik ,&nbsp;Gunanidhi Sahoo ,&nbsp;Priyambada Mohanty-Hejmadi ,&nbsp;Pravati Kumari Mahapatra","doi":"10.1016/j.cdev.2024.203987","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cdev.2024.203987","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Homeotic transformation of tail to hindlimbs in anuran tadpoles is a manifestation of the reprogramming of positional information in the event of tail regeneration. Such discovery of homeosis is of particular interest considering its occurrence in a vertebrate under the influence of a morphogen which represents a self-organizing system in the context of developmental and regenerative studies. This article reviews homeotic transformation of tail to hindlimbs including pelvic girdles induced by retinoic acid (RA) /vitamin A palmitate during tail regeneration under the scope of self-organization and the role of blastema as an organizer. Next, we present a timeline of various findings in this context.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36123,"journal":{"name":"Cells and Development","volume":"184 ","pages":"Article 203987"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142872228","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Coordinating tissue development to build body and brain: Lessons from the gastrula organiser and its derivatives","authors":"Alexandra Neaverson ,&nbsp;Benjamin Steventon","doi":"10.1016/j.cdev.2025.204042","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cdev.2025.204042","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Spemann-Mangold organiser has been a central paradigm in developmental biology for over a century, primarily studied through its ability to induce secondary axes in transplantation experiments. However, how the organiser and its derivatives act together to generate a well-proportioned body axis is still unknown. Here, we review evidence across four major vertebrate models (<em>Xenopus</em>, zebrafish, chick, and mouse) to evaluate the organiser's stage-specific requirements in neural development and body axis formation. We present a consensus view that initial neural specification and anterior-posterior patterning occur before morphological organiser formation, driven by planar signals from pre-organiser cells and species-specific contributions from extraembryonic tissues. We also discuss how the organiser-derived anterior axial mesendoderm (prechordal plate and head process) primarily acts to maintain anterior identity and ensure proper tissue proportions through continued signalling. The posterior organiser derivative, the notochord, remains essential for dorsal-ventral neural patterning, but also coordinates posterior body elongation through mechanical coupling with adjacent tissues, and the pace of axial mesoderm extension serves as a key coordinator of proportional body axis development. Future studies will improve our understanding of how organiser derivatives orchestrate the mechanical and molecular coordination of multiple tissues during axis formation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36123,"journal":{"name":"Cells and Development","volume":"184 ","pages":"Article 204042"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144718790","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Organizer activity in the mouse embryo","authors":"Jenny Kretzschmar ,&nbsp;Katharine Goodwin ,&nbsp;Katie McDole","doi":"10.1016/j.cdev.2025.204001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cdev.2025.204001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The discovery of the embryonic organizer by Hilde Mangold and Hans Spemann in 1924 was one of the most ground-breaking achievements in the 1900 century for developmental biologists and beyond. Ever since the organizer was first described in newts, developmental biologists have been trying to uncover similar structures in other organisms. While the Spemann-Mangold organizer as an axis-inducing centre is evolutionary conserved in vertebrates, similar organizing centres have yet to be observed in mammals. In this review, we will provide a brief historical overview of the discovery of the mouse gastrula organizer and discuss its potential as an organizer throughout early post-implantation mouse development. We discuss cell migrations through the mouse organizer region and morphogenesis of organizer cells and tissues. Finally, we examine the evidence arguing for and against the existence of a head organizer in mice, and the role of the anterior visceral endoderm and the prechordal plate in organizing head structures.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36123,"journal":{"name":"Cells and Development","volume":"184 ","pages":"Article 204001"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143374745","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Self-organization of an organizer: Whole-body regeneration from reaggregated cells in cnidarians","authors":"Sanjay Narayanaswamy,&nbsp;Ulrich Technau","doi":"10.1016/j.cdev.2025.204024","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cdev.2025.204024","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cnidarians like the freshwater polyp <em>Hydra</em> and the sea anemone <em>Nematostella</em>, are famous for their enormous capacity to regenerate missing head or feet upon bisection. Classical transplantation experiments have demonstrated that the hypostome, the oral tip of the freshwater polyp <em>Hydra</em>, acts as an axial organizer. Likewise, transplantation of the blastopore lip of an early <em>Nematostella</em> gastrula stage embryo to an aboral position leads to ectopic head formation. Following molecular analyses have shown that Wnt signaling is the key component of this organizer activity. Moreover, when dissociated and reaggregated head (and foot) organizer centres are re-established by self-organization. Similarly, “gastruloids”, <em>i.e.</em> aggregates of dissociated early gastrula stage embryos, are able to self-organize. Here, we review the past and recent molecular and theoretical work in the field to explain this phenomenon. While Turing-type reaction-diffusion models involving morphogens like Wnt dominated the field for many years, recent work emphasized the importance of biophysical cues in symmetry breaking and establishment of the organizers in aggregates. The comparison with <em>Nematostella</em> aggregates suggests that the principles of self-organization in cnidarians is not universal.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36123,"journal":{"name":"Cells and Development","volume":"184 ","pages":"Article 204024"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143781522","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Butterfly pupal wing tissue with an eyespot organizer","authors":"Joji M. Otaki ,&nbsp;Atsuko Tanaka ,&nbsp;Euichi Hirose","doi":"10.1016/j.cdev.2024.203992","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cdev.2024.203992","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Butterfly wing eyespots are developmentally determined at the early pupal stage, when prospective eyespot focal cells underneath the pupal cuticle focal spot function as eyespot organizers in the pupal wing tissue. Here, we performed light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to describe cellular structures of pupal wing tissue with an eyespot organizer immediately after pupation using the Blue Pansy butterfly <em>Junonia orithya</em>. The pupal forewing dorsal epidermis was a pseudostratified monolayer of vertically elongated epidermal cells. The apical portion of the cells adhered laterally to one another, but their medial and basal portions were thinner than the apical portion and were tilted to enclose cells at the center, forming a cellular cluster. The cellular cluster at the organizer was relatively large laterally and vertically. The apical portion of the cells and its corresponding cuticle at the organizer were thicker than those in the surroundings. The innermost cuticle layer was being synthesized, indicating high cuticle synthesis and secretion activity of the cells. At the medial and basal portions of the dorsal epidermis, there were many intracellular and extracellular vacuole-like globules, most likely containing extracellular matrix molecules. Some of the basal processes from epidermal cells extended to form protrusions of the basement membrane, which was often attended by hemocytes. These results suggest that the butterfly eyespot organizer is composed of a single or a few cellular clusters that secrete more cuticle than surrounding clusters, supporting the pupal cuticle hypothesis that cuticle formation is critical for eyespot color pattern determination in butterflies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36123,"journal":{"name":"Cells and Development","volume":"184 ","pages":"Article 203992"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142928199","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}