Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 4, 2026
08:25
Imaging and Analysis of Tissue Orientation and Growth Dynamics in the Developing Drosophila Epithelia During Pupal Stages
Published on: June 2, 2020
Developmental potential for morphogenesis in vivo and in vitro.
Kunihiko Kaneko1, Katsuhiko Sato, Tatsuo Michiue
1Department of Basic Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Summary
This study introduces developmental potential to explain robust cell differentiation and in vitro organogenesis. A new potential landscape model accurately predicts tissue generation from Xenopus animal caps using activin and retinoic acid (RA).
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Cell Differentiation
- Organogenesis
Background:
- Cellular differentiation is complex yet robust to perturbations during development.
- In vitro organogenesis from Xenopus animal caps is achievable using activin and retinoic acid (RA).
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce and validate a "developmental potential" model for describing normal development and in vitro organogenesis.
- To explain the robustness of cell type determination and tissue generation.
Main Methods:
- Introduced a quantitative measure of "developmental potential" based on Waddington's concept.
- Defined an explicit potential function dependent on activin and retinoic acid (RA) concentrations.
- Experimentally validated the model's predictions for in vitro organogenesis in Xenopus.
Main Results:
- The model successfully reproduced the concentration dependence of in vitro organogenesis.
- Identified multiple local minima in the potential landscape, representing stable cell types.
- Explained the requirement for increased activin treatment at later stages for specific tissue induction.
Conclusions:
- The developmental potential hypothesis provides a global description of early development.
- This model explains the robustness of morphogenesis and the success of in vitro organogenesis.
- The hypothesis accounts for developmental competence loss and the order of tissue induction.
Related Concept Videos
02:19Morphogenesis
Plant morphogenesis—the development of a plant’s form and structure—involves several overlapping developmental processes, including growth and cell differentiation. Precursor cells differentiate into specific cell types, which are organized into the tissues and organ systems that make up the functional plant.
01:51Determination
During embryogenesis, cells become progressively committed to different fates through a two-step process: specification followed by determination. Specification is demonstrated by removing a segment of an early embryo, “neutrally” culturing the tissue in vitro—for example, in a petri dish with simple medium—and then observing the derivatives. If the cultured region gives rise to cell types that it would normally generate in the embryo, this means that it is specified. In contrast, determination...