Gonadal mesoderm and fat body initially follow a common developmental path in Drosophila

Development ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 125 (5) ◽  
pp. 837-844 ◽  
Author(s):  
L.A. Moore ◽  
H.T. Broihier ◽  
M. Van Doren ◽  
R. Lehmann

During gastrulation, the Drosophila mesoderm invaginates and forms a single cell layer in close juxtaposition to the overlying ectoderm. Subsequently, particular cell types within the mesoderm are specified along the anteroposterior and dorsoventral axes. The exact developmental pathways that guide the specification of different cell types within the mesoderm are not well understood. We have analyzed the developmental relationship between two mesodermal tissues in the Drosophila embryo, the gonadal mesoderm and the fat body. Both tissues arise from lateral mesoderm within the eve domain. Whereas in the eve domain of parasegments 10–12 gonadal mesoderm develops from dorsolateral mesoderm and fat body from ventrolateral mesoderm, in parasegments 4–9 only fat body is specified. Our results demonstrate that the cell fate decision between gonadal mesoderm and fat body identity within dorsolateral mesoderm along the anteroposterior axis is determined by the combined actions of genes including abdA, AbdB and srp; while srp promotes fat body development, abdA allows gonadal mesoderm to develop by repressing srp function. Furthermore, we present evidence from genetic analysis suggesting that, before stage 10 of embryogenesis, gonadal mesoderm and the fat body have not yet been specified as different cell types, but exist as a common pool of precursor cells requiring the functions of the tin, zfh-1 and cli genes for their development.

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (51) ◽  
pp. eabb0119
Author(s):  
Yuan Yuan ◽  
Yong-hwee Eddie Loh ◽  
Xia Han ◽  
Jifan Feng ◽  
Thach-Vu Ho ◽  
...  

Cranial neural crest (CNC) cells contribute to different cell types during embryonic development. It is unknown whether postmigratory CNC cells undergo dynamic cellular movement and how the process of cell fate decision occurs within the first pharyngeal arch (FPA). Our investigations demonstrate notable heterogeneity within the CNC cells, refine the patterning domains, and identify progenitor cells within the FPA. These progenitor cells undergo fate bifurcation that separates them into common progenitors and mesenchymal cells, which are characterized by Cdk1 and Spry2/Notch2 expression, respectively. The common progenitors undergo further bifurcations to restrict them into osteogenic/odontogenic and chondrogenic/fibroblast lineages. Disruption of a patterning domain leads to specific mandible and tooth defects, validating the binary cell fate restriction process. Different from the compartment model of mandibular morphogenesis, our data redefine heterogeneous cellular domains within the FPA, reveal dynamic cellular movement in time, and describe a sequential series of binary cell fate decision-making process.


Biomedicines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 325
Author(s):  
Petra Korać ◽  
Mariastefania Antica ◽  
Maja Matulić

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding RNA involved in the regulation of specific mRNA translation. They participate in cellular signaling circuits and can act as oncogenes in tumor development, so-called oncomirs, as well as tumor suppressors. miR-7 is an ancient miRNA involved in the fine-tuning of several signaling pathways, acting mainly as tumor suppressor. Through downregulation of PI3K and MAPK pathways, its dominant role is the suppression of proliferation and survival, stimulation of apoptosis and inhibition of migration. Besides these functions, it has numerous additional roles in the differentiation process of different cell types, protection from stress and chromatin remodulation. One of the most investigated tissues is the brain, where its downregulation is linked with glioblastoma cell proliferation. Its deregulation is found also in other tumor types, such as in liver, lung and pancreas. In some types of lung and oral carcinoma, it can act as oncomir. miR-7 roles in cell fate determination and maintenance of cell homeostasis are still to be discovered, as well as the possibilities of its use as a specific biotherapeutic.


Development ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 127 (15) ◽  
pp. 3305-3312 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.L. Ashe ◽  
M. Mannervik ◽  
M. Levine

The dorsal ectoderm of the Drosophila embryo is subdivided into different cell types by an activity gradient of two TGF(β) signaling molecules, Decapentaplegic (Dpp) and Screw (Scw). Patterning responses to this gradient depend on a secreted inhibitor, Short gastrulation (Sog) and a newly identified transcriptional repressor, Brinker (Brk), which are expressed in neurogenic regions that abut the dorsal ectoderm. Here we examine the expression of a number of Dpp target genes in transgenic embryos that contain ectopic stripes of Dpp, Sog and Brk expression. These studies suggest that the Dpp/Scw activity gradient directly specifies at least three distinct thresholds of gene expression in the dorsal ectoderm of gastrulating embryos. Brk was found to repress two target genes, tailup and pannier, that exhibit different limits of expression within the dorsal ectoderm. These results suggest that the Sog inhibitor and Brk repressor work in concert to establish sharp dorsolateral limits of gene expression. We also present evidence that the activation of Dpp/Scw target genes depends on the Drosophila homolog of the CBP histone acetyltransferase.


Development ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 120 (9) ◽  
pp. 2555-2566 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Cubas ◽  
J. Modolell ◽  
M. Ruiz-Gomez

The Drosophila Extramacrochaetae protein antagonizes the proneural function of the Achaete and Scute proteins in the generation of the adult fly sensory organs. Extra-macrochaetae sequesters these basic-region-helix-loop-helix transcription factors as heterodimers inefficient for binding to DNA. We show that, during embryonic development, the extramacrochaetae gene is expressed in complex patterns that comprise derivatives of the three embryonic layers. Expression of extramacrochaetae often precedes and accompanies morphogenetic movements. It also occurs at regions of specialized cell-cell contact and/or cell recognition, like the epidermal part of the muscle attachment sites and the differentiating CNS. The insufficiency of extramacrochaetae affects most tissues where it is expressed. The defects suggest faulty specification of different cell types and result in impairment of processes as diverse as cell proliferation and commitment, cell adhesion and cell recognition. If Extramacrochaetae participates in cell specification by dimerizing with basic-region-helix-loop-helix proteins, the variety of defects and tissues affected by the insufficiency of extramacrochaetae suggests that helix-loop-helix proteins are involved in many embryonic developmental processes.


Development ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 116 (4) ◽  
pp. 1203-1220 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.Y. Hartenstein ◽  
A. Rugendorff ◽  
U. Tepass ◽  
V. Hartenstein

The complex embryonic phenotype of the six neurogenic mutations Notch, mastermind, big brain, Delta, Enhancer of split and neuralized was analyzed by using different antibodies and PlacZ markers, which allowed us to label most of the known embryonic tissues. Our results demonstrate that all of the neurogenic mutants show abnormalities in many different organs derived from all three germ layers. Defects caused by the neurogenic mutations in ectodermally derived tissues fell into two categories. First, all cell types that delaminate from the ectoderm (neuroblasts, sensory neurons, peripheral glia cells and oenocytes) are increased in number. Secondly, ectodermal tissues that in the wild type form epithelial structures lose their epithelial phenotype and dissociate (optic lobe, stomatogastric nervous system) or show significant differentiative abnormalities (trachea, Malpighian tubules and salivary gland). Abnormalities in tissues derived from the mesoderm were observed in all six neurogenic mutations. Most importantly, somatic myoblasts do not fuse and/or form an aberrant muscle pattern. Cardioblasts (which form the embryonic heart) are increased in number and show differentiative abnormalities; other mesodermal cell types (fat body, pericardial cells) are significantly decreased. The development of the endoderm (midgut rudiments) is disrupted in most of the neurogenic mutations (Notch, Delta, Enhancer of split and neuralized) during at least two stages. Defects occur as early as during gastrulation when the invaginating midgut rudiments prematurely lose their epithelial characteristics. Later, the transition of the midgut rudiments to form the midgut epithelium does not occur. In addition, the number of adult midgut precursor cells that segregate from the midgut rudiments is strongly increased. We propose that, at least in the ectodermally and endodermally derived tissues, neurogenic gene function is primarily involved in interactions among cells that need to acquire or to maintain an epithelial phenotype.


2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (45) ◽  
pp. 7471-7485 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chen-Yuan Gao ◽  
Zhao-Hui Huang ◽  
Wei Jing ◽  
Peng-Fei Wei ◽  
Le Jin ◽  
...  

Cell-secreted decellularized extracellular matrixes (D-ECM) are promising for conferring bioactivity and directing cell fate to facilitate tissue regeneration.


Science ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 366 (6461) ◽  
pp. 116-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan D. Lord ◽  
Thomas M. Norman ◽  
Ruoshi Yuan ◽  
Somenath Bakshi ◽  
Richard Losick ◽  
...  

Cell fate decision circuits must be variable enough for genetically identical cells to adopt a multitude of fates, yet ensure that these states are distinct, stably maintained, and coordinated with neighboring cells. A long-standing view is that this is achieved by regulatory networks involving self-stabilizing feedback loops that convert small differences into long-lived cell types. We combined regulatory mutants and in vivo reconstitution with theory for stochastic processes to show that the marquee features of a cell fate switch in Bacillus subtilis—discrete states, multigenerational inheritance, and timing of commitments—can instead be explained by simple stochastic competition between two constitutively produced proteins that form an inactive complex. Such antagonistic interactions are commonplace in cells and could provide powerful mechanisms for cell fate determination more broadly.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haoli Ying ◽  
Ruolang Pan ◽  
Ye Chen

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are progenitors of connective tissues, which have emerged as important tools for tissue engineering owing to their differentiation potential in various cell types. The therapeutic utility of MSCs hinges upon our understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in cellular fate decisions. Thus, the elucidation of the regulation of MSC differentiation has attracted increasing attention in recent years. A variety of external cues contribute to the process of MSC differentiation, including chemical, physical, and biological factors. Among the multiple factors that are known to affect cell fate decisions, the epigenetic regulation of MSC differentiation has become a research hotspot. In this chapter, we summarize recent progress in the determination of the effects of epigenetic modification on the multilineage differentiation of MSCs.


Author(s):  
Christina J. Su ◽  
Arvind Murugan ◽  
James M. Linton ◽  
Akshay Yeluri ◽  
Justin Bois ◽  
...  

AbstractIn multicellular organisms, secreted ligands selectively activate, or “address,” specific target cell populations to control cell fate decision-making and other processes. Key cell-cell communication pathways use multiple promiscuously interacting ligands and receptors, provoking the question of how addressing specificity can emerge from molecular promiscuity. To investigate this issue, we developed a general mathematical modeling framework based on the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) pathway architecture. We find that promiscuously interacting ligand-receptor systems allow a small number of ligands, acting in combinations, to address a larger number of individual cell types, each defined by its receptor expression profile. Promiscuous systems outperform seemingly more specific one-to-one signaling architectures in addressing capacity. Combinatorial addressing extends to groups of cell types, is robust to receptor expression noise, grows more powerful with increasing receptor multiplicity, and is maximized by specific biochemical parameter relationships. Together, these results identify fundamental design principles governing cell addressing by ligand combinations.


Development ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 115 (3) ◽  
pp. 737-744 ◽  
Author(s):  
F.F. Del Amo ◽  
D.E. Smith ◽  
P.J. Swiatek ◽  
M. Gendron-Maguire ◽  
R.J. Greenspan ◽  
...  

The Notch gene of Drosophila encodes a large transmembrane protein involved in cell-cell interactions and cell fate decisions in the Drosophila embryo. To determine if a gene homologous to Drosophila Notch plays a role in early mouse development, we screened a mouse embryo cDNA library with probes from the Xenopus Notch homolog, Xotch. A partial cDNA clone encoding the mouse Notch homolog, which we have termed Motch, was used to analyze expression of the Motch gene. Motch transcripts were detected in a wide variety of adult tissues, which included derivatives of all three germ layers. Differentiation of P19 embryonal carcinoma cells into neuronal cell types resulted in increased expression of Motch RNA. In the postimplantation mouse embryo Motch transcripts were first detected in mesoderm at 7.5 days post coitum (dpc). By 8.5 dpc, transcript levels were highest in presomitic mesoderm, mesenchyme and endothelial cells, while much lower levels were detected in neuroepithelium. In contrast, at 9.5 dpc, neuroepithelium was a major site of Motch expression. Transcripts were also abundant in cell types derived from neural crest. These data suggest that the Motch gene plays multiple roles in patterning and differentiation of the early postimplantation mouse embryo.


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