FGF signaling pathway in the developing chick lung: expression and inhibition studies

Area of Science:

• Developmental biology
• Molecular biology
• Comparative anatomy

Background:

• Fibroblast growth factors (FGF) and their receptors (FGFR) are vital for embryonic development.
• FGF signaling pathways, regulated by Sprouty, are implicated in mammalian lung morphogenesis.
• The avian model has not been extensively studied for lung development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe FGF signaling component expression in early chick lung development.
• To investigate the role of FGFR signaling in chick lung morphogenesis.
• To validate the avian embryo as a model for pulmonary research.

Main Methods:

• In situ hybridization to map expression patterns of fgf10, fgfr1-4, and spry2.
• In vitro culture of lung explants with an FGFR antagonist (SU5402).
• Branching and morphometric analysis to quantify developmental changes.

Main Results:

• FGF signaling components show similar expression patterns in chick lungs as in mammals.
• FGFR inhibition in chick lung explants impaired secondary branch formation.
• Abnormal lung growth, cystic secondary bronchi, and reduced mesenchyme were observed upon FGFR inhibition.

Conclusions:

• FGFRs are essential for the epithelial-mesenchymal interactions driving lung branching and growth.
• The avian embryo is a suitable model for studying lung development and FGF pathways.
• FGF signaling represents a potential therapeutic target for lung development disorders.