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At least 1,063 records · Page 59Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Overexpression of parathyroid hormone-related protein or parathyroid hormone in transgenic mice impairs branching morphogenesis during mammary gland development.

Parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) was originally discovered as the tumor product that causes humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy. PTHrP is now known to be widely expressed in many normal fetal tissues where it may participate in the regulation of organogenesis. In this report, we document that overexpression of PTHrP in myoepithelial cells in the mammary glands of transgenic mice resulted in a form of breast hypoplasia characterized by a profound defect in branching morphogenesis of the developing mammary duct system. In addition, transgenic mice manifested a defect in lobuloalveolar development during pregnancy that seemed to be, in part, the consequence of an impaired ability to form terminal ducts in response to estrogen and progesterone stimulation. The effects of PTHrP on branching morphogenesis during breast development appeared to be the result of amino-terminal PTH-like sequences that signal through the PTH/PTHrP receptor, since overexpression of parathyroid hormone itself in the mammary glands of transgenic mice caused a similar development phenotype, and delivery of PTHrP (1-36) via locally implanted slow-release pellets impaired breast development in normal mice. These results suggest that PTHrP, which is a native product of mammary epithelial and myoepithelial cells may participate in normal breast development, perhaps as a locally secreted growth inhibitor.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Control of epithelial morphogenesis by cell signaling and integrin molecules in the Drosophila foregut.

Coordinated cell movements are critical for tissue and organ morphogenesis in animal development. We show that the Drosophila genes hedgehog and wingless, which encode signaling molecules, and the gene myospheroid, which encodes a beta subunit of the integrins, are required for epithelial morphogenesis during proventriculus development. In contrast, this morphogenetic process is suppressed by the decapentaplegic gene, which encodes a member of the TGF beta family of growth factors. These results identify a novel cell signaling center in the foregut that directs the formation of a multiply folded organ from a simple epithelial tube.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Distinct spatial and temporal functions for PS integrins during Drosophila wing morphogenesis.

At the onset of pupariation in the Drosophila wing, the PS1 and PS2 integrins are expressed preferentially on the dorsal and ventral wing epithelia, respectively. Clonal analysis experiments have indicated that integrins are required to maintain the tight association of the wing surfaces. Surprisingly, we find that even in clones of cells lacking integrins the wing layers become apposed early in metamorphosis. However, following the normal period of wing separation, large integrin mutant clones do not become re-apposed in the pupa, and integrins are not organized in basal plaques in cells opposite a mutant clone. Paradoxically, our experiments indicate that at least one integrin function requires different integrins on the dorsal and ventral wing surfaces, however in some cases both alphaPS subunits can function to some degree on each wing surface. Finally, overexpression of an alphaPS subunit throughout the wing leads to a dominant wing blister phenotype, and the critical period for this phenotype is the beginning of pupariation. These data indicate that integrin requirements in wing morphogenesis can be separated into early (prepupal) and late (pupal) functions. The late function seems to reflect the traditional view of integrins as cell-matrix adhesion proteins. The early requirement, which probably requires dorsoventral segregation of PS1 and PS2, suggests functions for PS1 and PS2 in signaling events that regulate morphogenesis.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Morphogenesis of the C. elegans hermaphrodite uterus.

We have undertaken electron micrographic reconstruction of the Caenorhabditis elegans hermaphrodite uterus and determined the correspondence between cells defined by their lineage history and differentiated cell types. In this organ, many cells do not move during morphogenesis and the cell lineage may function to put cells where they are needed. Differentiated uterine cell types include the toroidal ut cells that make structural epithelium, and specialized utse and uv cells that make the connection between the uterus and the vulva. A cell fate decision in which the anchor cell (AC) induces adjacent ventral uterine intermediate precursor cells to adopt the pi fate, rather than the ground state rho, has profound consequences for terminal differentiation: all pi progeny are directly involved in making the uterine-vulval connection whereas all rho progeny contribute to ut toroids or the uterine-spermathecal valve. In addition to specifying certain uterine cell fates, the AC also induces the vulva. Its multiple inductions thereby function to coordinate the connection of an internal to an external epithelium. The AC induces the pi cells and ultimately fuses with a subset of their progeny. This is an example of reciprocal cell-cell interaction that can be studied at single cell resolution. The AC is thus a transitory cell type that plays a pivotal role in organizing the morphogenesis of the uterine-vulval connection.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

The neurogenic genes egghead and brainiac define a novel signaling pathway essential for epithelial morphogenesis during Drosophila oogenesis.

Notch (N) and other neurogenic genes have been implicated in two fundamental processes, lateral specification of cell fates, and epithelial development. Previous studies have suggested that the neurogenic gene brainiac (brn) is specifically required for epithelial development (Goode, S., Morgan, M., Liang, Y-P. and Mahowald, A. P. (1996). Dev. Biol. 178, 35-50). In this report we show that egghead (egh), a gene with phenotypes identical to brn, encodes for a novel, putative secreted or transmembrane protein. We describe the role of egh and brn germline function in the morphogenesis of the follicular epithelium from the time it is born through the time that it migrates towards the oocyte late in oogenesis. By comparing the function of germline egh and brn to N during oogenesis, we have obtained direct evidence for the involvement of Notch in maintenance of the follicle cell epithelium, and the specificity of brn and egh in epithelial development during oogenesis. The most striking phenotype observed for all three genes is a loss of apical-basal polarity and accumulation of follicular epithelial cells in multiple layers around the oocyte. The spatiotemporal onset of this adenoma-like phenotype correlates with the differential accumulation of egh transcripts in the oocyte at stage 4 of oogenesis. In contrast to N, we find that brn and egh are essential for the organization, but not specification, of stalk and polar cells. The expression patterns and functional requirements of brn, egh, and N lead us to propose that these genes mediate follicular morphogenesis by regulating germline-follicle cell adhesion. This proposal offers explanations for (1) the involvement of egh and brn in N-mediated epithelial development, but not lateral specification, (2) why brn and egh embryonic neurogenic phenotypes are not as severe as N phenotypes, and (3) how egh and brn influence Egfr-mediated processes. The correlation between the differential expression of egh in the oocyte and the differential requirement for brn, egh, and N in maintaining the follicular epithelium around the oocyte, suggests that Egghead is a critical component of a differential oocyte-follicle cell adhesive system.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1996

cdh-3, a gene encoding a member of the cadherin superfamily, functions in epithelial cell morphogenesis in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Several genes that encode members of the cadherin superfamily have been identified in Caenorhabditis elegans. Based on the roles of cadherins in vertebrates and Drosophila, it is expected that they function in the control of epithelial morphogenesis, an event which is poorly understood at the molecular level in C. elegans. Reporter genes under the control of upstream sequences from one of these genes, cdh-3, are expressed in developing epithelial cells, but also in a number of neuroectodermal cells that extend processes along some of these epithelial cells. We generated a loss-of-function mutation in cdh-3 by transposon-mediated deletion mutagenesis. This mutation affects the morphogenesis of a single cell, hyp10, which forms the tip of the nematode tail. The lack of detectable defects associated with the other cells expressing cdh-3 reporter constructs hints at the existence of other genes that can compensate for cdh-3 loss of function.

Alleles↗
PubMed1996

The morphogenesis of the pancreatic mesenchyme is uncoupled from that of the pancreatic epithelium in IPF1/PDX1-deficient mice.

We have previously shown that mice carrying a null mutation in the homeobox gene ipf1, now renamed to pdx1, selectively lack a pancreas. To elucidate the level at which PDX1 is required during the development of the pancreas, we have in this study analyzed the early stages of pancreas ontogeny in PDX-/- mice. These analyses have revealed that the early inductive events leading to the formation of the pancreatic buds and the appearance of the early insulin and glucagon cells occur in the PDX1-deficient embryos. However, the subsequent morphogenesis of the pancreatic epithelium and the progression of differentiation of the endocrine cells are arrested in the pdx1-/- embryos. In contrast, the pancreatic mesenchyme grows and develops, both morphologically and functionally, independently of the epithelium. We also show that the pancreatic epithelium in the pdx1 mutants is unable to respond to the mesenchymal-derived signal(s) which normally promote pancreatic morphogenesis. Together these data provide evidence that PDX-1 acts cell autonomously and that the lack of a pancreas in the pdx1-/- mice is due to a defect in the pancreatic epithelium.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Drosophila nonmuscle myosin II has multiple essential roles in imaginal disc and egg chamber morphogenesis.

Morphogenesis is characterized by orchestrated changes in the shape and position of individual cells. Many of these movements are thought to be powered by motor proteins. However, in metazoans, it is often difficult to match specific motors with the movements they drive. The nonmuscle myosin II heavy chain (MHC encoded by zipper is required for cell sheet movements in Drosophila embryos. To determine if myosin II is required for other processes, we examined the phenotypes of strong and weak larval lethal mutations in spaghetti squash (sqh), which encodes the nonmuscle myosin II regulatory light chain (RLC). sqh mutants can be rescued to adulthood by daily induction of a sqh cDNA transgene driven by the hsp70 promoter. By transiently ceasing induction of the cDNA, we depleted RLC at specific times during development. When RLC is transiently depleted in larvae, the resulting adult phenotypes demonstrate that RLC is required in a stage-specific fashion for proper development of eye and leg imaginal discs. When RLC is depleted in adult females, oogenesis is reversibly disrupted. Without RLC induction, developing egg chambers display a succession of phenotypes that demonstrate roles for myosin II in morphogenesis of the interfollicular stalks, three morphologically and mechanistically distinct types of follicle cell migration, and completion of nurse cell cytoplasm transport (dumping). Finally, we show that in sqh mutant tissues, MHC is abnormally localized in punctate structures that do not contain appreciable amounts of filamentous actin or the myosin tail-binding protein p127. This suggests that sqh mutant phenotypes are chiefly caused by sequestration of myosin into inactive aggregates. These results show that myosin II is responsible for a surprisingly diverse array of cell shape changes throughout development.

Actomyosin↗
PubMed1996

Evidence from normal expression and targeted misexpression that bone morphogenetic protein (Bmp-4) plays a role in mouse embryonic lung morphogenesis.

Epithelial-mesenchymal interactions are critical for the branching and differentiation of the lung, but the mechanisms involved are still unclear. To investigate this problem in mouse embryonic lung, we have studied the temporal and spatial expression of genes implicated in the morphogenesis of other organs. At 11.5 days p.c., hepatocyte nuclear factor-3beta (Hnf-3beta) is expressed uniformly throughout the epithelium, while Wnt-2 expression is confined to the distal mesenchyme. Sonic hedgehog (Shh) transcripts are found throughout the epithelium, with high levels in the distal tips of the terminal buds, while bone morphogenetic protein-4 (Bmp-4) transcripts are localized at high levels in the distal tips of the epithelium, with lower levels in the adjacent mesenchyme. Epithelial expression is also seen for Bmp-7, but transcripts are less dramatically upregulated at the distal tips. The Type I Bone morphogenetic protein receptor gene (Bmpr/Tfr-11/Brk-1) is expressed at low levels in the epithelium and in the distal mesenchyme. To investigate the role of Bmp-4 in lung development, we have misexpressed the gene throughout the distal epithelium of transgenic lungs using a surfactant protein C enhancer/promoter. From 15.5 days p.c., transgenic lungs are smaller than normal, with grossly distended terminal buds and, at birth, contain large air-filled sacs which do not support normal lung function. Labeling with BrdU reveals an inhibition of epithelia] proliferation in 15.5 days p.c. transgenic lungs. A small but significant stimulation of proliferation of mesenchymal cells is also observed, but this is accompanied by an increase in cell death. In situ hybridization with riboprobes for the proximal airway marker, CC10, and the distal airway marker, SP-C, shows normal differentiation of bronchiolar Clara cells but a reduction in the number of differentiated Type II cells in transgenic lungs. A model is proposed for the role of BMP4 and other signalling molecules in embryonic lung morphogenesis.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Amphiregulin in lung branching morphogenesis: interaction with heparan sulfate proteoglycan modulates cell proliferation.

Epithelial and mesenchymal cells isolated from mouse embryonic lungs synthesized and responded to amphiregulin (AR) in a different fashion. Mesenchymal cells produced and deposited 3- to 4-fold more AR than epithelial cells, proliferated in the presence of exogenous AR, and their spontaneous growth was blocked by up to 85% by anti-AR antibodies. In contrast, epithelial cells exhibited a broad response to this growth regulator factor depending on whether they were supplemented with extracellular matrix (ECM) and whether this ECM was of epithelial or mesenchymal origin. AR-treated epithelial cells proliferated by up to 3-fold in the presence of mesenchymal-deposited ECM, remained unchanged in the presence of epithelial-deposited ECM, and decreased in their proliferation rate below controls in the absence of ECM supplementation. This effect was abolished by treatment with the glycosaminoglycan-degrading enzymes heparinase and heparitinase suggesting the specific involvement of heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG) in AR-mediated cell proliferation. In whole lung explants, branching morphogenesis was inhibited by antibodies against the AR heparan sulfate binding site and stimulated by exogenous AR. Since during development, epithelial cells are in contact with mesenchymal ECM at the tips of the growing buds and alongside the basement membrane, focal variations in the proportion of epithelial and mesenchymal HSPG will focally affect epithelial proliferation rates. Therefore, AR-HSPG interaction may underlie the process of branching morphogenesis by inducing differential cell proliferation.

Amphiregulin↗
PubMed1996

Function of posterior HoxD genes in the morphogenesis of the anal sphincter.

Vertebrate 5'-located HoxD genes are expressed in the most caudal part of the digestive tract and their potential functions during gut development have been assessed by gene disruptions. We have inserted reporter lacZ sequences within the Hoxd-12 gene and analysed the morphology of the gut in these mice as well as in Hoxd-13 mutant animals. When homozygous, both mutations induce an important disorganization of the anorectal region. In particular, severe alterations of the smooth muscle layers of the rectum led to defective morphogenesis of the internal anal sphincter. Similarly, Hoxd-12 and Hoxd-13 functionally overlap during digit development. The function of these genes in the morphogenesis of the digestive system as well as their functional evolution are discussed.

Anal Canal↗
PubMed1997

Involvement of Sonic hedgehog (Shh) in mouse embryonic lung growth and morphogenesis.

Branching morphogenesis of the embryonic lung requires interactions between the epithelium and the mesenchyme. Previously, we reported that Sonic hedgehog (Shh) transcripts are present in the epithelium of the developing mouse lung, with highest levels in the terminal buds. Here, we report that transcripts of mouse patched (Ptc), the homologue of a Drosophila gene encoding a putative transmembrane protein required for hedgehog signaling, are expressed at high levels in the mesenchyme adjacent to the end buds. To investigate the function of SHH in lung development, Shh was overexpressed throughout the distal epithelium, using the surfactant protein-C (SP-C)-enhancer/promoter. Beginning around 16.5 dpc, when Shh and Ptc RNA levels are normally both declining, this treatment caused an increase in the ratio of interstitial mesenchyme to epithelial tubules in transgenic compared to normal lungs. Transgenic newborn mice die soon after birth. Histological analysis of the lungs at the light and electron microscope level shows an abundance of mesenchyme and the absence of typical alveoli. In vivo BrdU labeling indicates that Shh overexpression results in increased mesenchymal and epithelial cell proliferation at 16.5 and 17.5 dpc. However, analysis of CC-10 and SP-C expression reveals no significant inhibition in the differentiation of proximal and distal epithelial cells. The expression of genes potentially regulated by SHH was also examined. No difference could be observed between transgenic and control lungs in either the level or distribution of Bmp4, Wnt2 and Fgf7 RNA. By contrast, Ptc is clearly upregulated in the transgenic lung. These results thus establish a role for SHH in lung morphogenesis, and suggest that SHH normally regulates lung mesenchymal cell proliferation in vivo.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Genetic control of brain morphogenesis through Otx gene dosage requirement.

Understanding the genetic mechanisms that control patterning of the vertebrate brain represents a major challenge for developmental neurobiology. Previous data suggest that Otx1 and Otx2, two murine homologs of the Drosophila orthodenticle (otd) gene, might both contribute to brain morphogenesis. To gain insight into this possibility, the level of OTX proteins was modified by altering in vivo the Otx gene dosage. Here we report that Otx genes may cooperate in brain morphogenesis and that a minimal level of OTX proteins, corresponding either to one copy each of Otx1 and Otx2, or to only two copies of Otx2, is required for proper regionalization and subsequent patterning of the developing brain. Thus, as revealed by anatomical and molecular analyses, only Otx1-/-; Otx2+/- embryos lacked mesencephalon, pretectal area, dorsal thalamus and showed an heavy reduction of the Ammon's horn, while the metencephalon was dramatically enlarged occupying the mesencencephalic area. In 8.5 days post coitum (d.p.c.) Otx1-/-; Otx2+/- embryos, the expression patterns of mesencephalic-metencephalic (mes-met) markers such as En-1 and Wnt-1 confirmed the early presence of the area fated to give rise to mesencephalon and metencephalon while Fgf-8 transcripts were improperly localized in a broader domain. Thus, in Otx1-/-; Otx2+/- embryos, Fgf-8 misexpression is likely to be the consequence of a reduced level of specification between mes-met primitive neuroepithelia that triggers the following repatterning involving the transformation of mesencephalon into metencephalon, the establishment of an isthmic-like structure in the caudal diencephalon and, by 12.5 d.p.c., the telencephalic expression of Wnt-1 and En-2. Taken together these findings support the existence of a molecular mechanism depending on a precise threshold of OTX proteins that is required to specify early regional diversity between adjacent mes-met territories and, in turn, to allow the correct positioning of the isthmic organizer.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Cell morphogenesis of trichomes in Arabidopsis: differential control of primary and secondary branching by branch initiation regulators and cell growth.

Cell morphogenesis, i.e. the acquisition of a particular cell shape, can be examined genetically in the three-branched trichomes that differentiate from single epidermal cells on the leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana. In normal development, the growing trichome cell undergoes two successive branching events, resulting in a proximal side stem and a distal main stem which subsequently splits in two branches. Using new and previously described trichome mutants, we have analyzed the branching pattern in single and double mutants affecting branch number or cell size in order to determine underlying mechanisms. Our results suggest that primary branching is genetically distinct from subsequent branching events and that the latter, secondary events are initiated in response to positive and negative regulators of branching as well as subject to control by cell growth. We propose a model of how trichome cell morphogenesis is regulated during normal development.

Arabidopsis↗
PubMed1997

A novel alpha integrin subunit associates with betaPS and functions in tissue morphogenesis and movement during Drosophila development.

We have identified a novel alpha integrin subunit in Drosophila, that associates with betaPS integrin. We report the temporal expression of the gene encoding this integrin subunit, which we have called alphaPS3, throughout development and the localization of its expression during embryogenesis. AlphaPS3 RNA was localized to tissues undergoing invagination, tissue movement and morphogenesis such as salivary gland, trachea, midgut, dorsal vessel, midline of the ventral nerve cord, amnioserosa and the amnioproctodeal invagination. AlphaPS3 DNA localized to the chromosomal vicinity of scab (scb), previously identified by a failure of dorsal closure. Embryos homozygous for the 119 allele of scb had no detectable alphaPS3 RNA and the 1035 allele of scb contains a P element inserted just 5' of the coding region for the shorter of the gene's two transcripts. Furthermore, mutations in the scb locus exhibit additional defects corresponding to sites of alphaPS3 transcription, including abnormal salivary glands, mislocalization of the pericardial cells and interrupted trachea. Removal of both maternal and zygotic betaPS produced similar defects, indicating that these two integrin subunits associate in vivo and function in the movement and morphogenesis of tissues during development in Drosophila. Phenotypic similarities suggest that laminin A is a potential ligand for this integrin, at least in some tissues.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1997

Importance of nidogen binding to laminin gamma1 for branching epithelial morphogenesis of the submandibular gland.

Epithelial-mesenchymal interactions are major driving forces for the development of most solid organs. The importance of these interactions was first shown for the embryonic submandibular gland more than 40 years ago. We here present evidence that interactions between two basement membrane components, nidogen (entactin) and laminin gamma1 chain, could be important for epithelial-mesenchymal interactions in this gland. Nidogen mRNA was detected by in situ hybridization in the mesenchyme, and yet the protein was detected in epithelial and endothelial basement membranes. The role of nidogen-laminin interactions for epithelial morphogenesis was studied by applying antibodies to submandibular gland organ cultures. Antibodies reacting strongly with the nidogen-binding site of laminin gamma1 chain drastically perturbed branching epithelial morphogenesis. Electron microscopy of the epithelial-mesenchymal interface showed that blocking antibodies disrupted the formation of the basement membrane. Epidermal growth factor was shown to increase the expression of nidogen in mesenchyme, and could counteract the effect of the blocking antibodies. We suggest that nidogen could be an important mesenchymal factor for submandibular gland development.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Frizzled-8 is expressed in the Spemann organizer and plays a role in early morphogenesis.

Wnts are secreted signaling molecules implicated in a large number of developmental processes. Frizzled proteins have been identified as likely receptors for Wnt ligands in vertebrates and invertebrates, but a functional role for vertebrate frizzleds has not yet been defined. To assess the endogenous role of frizzled proteins during vertebrate development, we have identified and characterized a Xenopus frizzled gene (xfz8). It is highly expressed in the deep cells of the Spemann organizer prior to dorsal lip formation and in the early involuting marginal zone. Ectopic expression of xfz8 in ventral cells leads to complete secondary axis formation and can synergize with Xwnt-8 while an inhibitory form of xfz8 (Nxfz8) blocks axis duplication by Xwnt-8, consistent with a role for xfz8 in Wnt signal transduction. Expression of Nxfz8 in dorsal cells has profound effects on morphogenesis during gastrulation and neurulation that result in dramatic shortening of the anterior-posterior axis. Our results suggest a role for xfz8 in morphogenesis during the gastrula stage of embryogenesis.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1998

The transcription factor HNF3beta is required in visceral endoderm for normal primitive streak morphogenesis.

During early embryogenesis, the transcription factor HNF3beta is expressed in visceral and definitive endoderm, node, notochord and floorplate. A targeted mutation in the HNF3&bgr ; gene results in the lack of a definitive node and notochord. Furthermore, lack of HNF3beta results in failure of proper primitive streak elongation. To address whether HNF3beta is required in visceral endoderm, we have used tetraploid embryo-ES cell aggregations to generate chimeric mouse embryos with wild-type visceral endoderm and homozygous mutant HNF3beta embryonic ectoderm or vice versa. Replacing the visceral endoderm of mutant HNF3beta embryos rescued proper primitive streak elongation and, conversely, mutant visceral endoderm imposed a severe embryonic-extraembryonic constriction on wild-type embryonic ectoderm. Restoration of normal streak morphogenesis was not sufficient to allow formation of the node and notochord in HNF3beta mutant embryos. Thus, our results demonstrate that HNF3beta has two separate roles in primitive streak formation. One is to act within the visceral endoderm to promote proper streak morphogenesis. The second is autonomous to the node and its precursors and involves specification of node and notochord cell fates. HNF3beta mutant embryos rescued for the embryonic-extraembryonic constriction developed further than mutant embryos, allowing examination of later roles for HNF3beta. We show that such mutant embryos lack foregut and midgut endoderm. In addition, left-right asymmetry is affected in the mutant embryos.

Animals↗