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Updated: Jul 20, 2026
07:32
Mouse Embryonic Lung Culture, A System to Evaluate the Molecular Mechanisms of Branching
Published on: June 30, 2010
Molecular regulation of lung development
1Pulmonary Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118, USA. wcardoso@bupula.bu.edu
Annual Review of Physiology
|February 22, 2001
Summary
Respiratory system development, including the tracheobronchial tree and alveoli, is driven by varied epithelial-mesenchymal interactions. Genetic data reveal distinct signaling networks along the proximal-distal axis regulate this complex process.
Area of Science:
- Developmental biology
- Molecular biology
- Respiratory system development
Background:
- Formation of the tracheobronchial tree and alveoli is a complex process.
- Epithelial-mesenchymal interactions are increasingly recognized as crucial for respiratory tract development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the role of heterogeneous epithelial-mesenchymal interactions in respiratory system formation.
- To investigate the signaling networks and pattern regulators involved in respiratory development.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent genetic data.
- Analysis of signaling molecule networks.
- Discussion of pattern regulators in respiratory system development.
Main Results:
- Heterogeneity in epithelial-mesenchymal interactions drives tracheobronchial tree and alveoli formation.
- Distinct signaling networks activated along the proximal-distal axis are responsible for this heterogeneity.
- Fibroblast growth factors, retinoids, Sonic hedgehog, and transforming growth factors are key signaling molecules.
Conclusions:
- Signaling molecule networks and pattern regulators are essential for the initiation, branching, and differentiation of the respiratory system.
- Understanding these molecular mechanisms provides insight into normal and potentially abnormal respiratory development.
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01:10Transcription
Overview
Transcription is the process of synthesizing RNA from a DNA sequence by RNA polymerase. It is the first step in producing a protein from a gene sequence. Additionally, many other proteins and regulatory sequences are involved in the proper synthesis of messenger RNA (mRNA). Regulation of transcription is responsible for the differentiation of all the different types of cells and often for the proper cellular response to environmental signals.
Transcription Can Produce Different Kinds...
Transcription is the process of synthesizing RNA from a DNA sequence by RNA polymerase. It is the first step in producing a protein from a gene sequence. Additionally, many other proteins and regulatory sequences are involved in the proper synthesis of messenger RNA (mRNA). Regulation of transcription is responsible for the differentiation of all the different types of cells and often for the proper cellular response to environmental signals.
Transcription Can Produce Different Kinds...
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