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Updated: May 8, 2026
06:10
Extrahepatic Bile Duct and Gall Bladder Dissection in Nine-Day-Old Mouse Neonates
Published on: August 23, 2022
The septum transversum mesenchyme induces gall bladder development
Yohei Saito1, Takuya Kojima, Naoki Takahashi
1Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo , 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657 , Japan ; RNA Company Limited , 7-25-7, Nishikamata, Ota-ku, Tokyo 144-8661 , Japan.
Biology Open
|August 17, 2013
Summary
The septum transversum mesenchyme (STM) induces gall bladder development by secreting BMP4. It also prevents liver development in the posterior ventral foregut via an Fgf10/Fgfr2b/Sox9 pathway, highlighting its crucial roles.
Area of Science:
- Developmental biology
- Organogenesis
- Molecular signaling
Background:
- The liver, gall bladder, and ventral pancreas originate from the ventral foregut.
- Pancreatobiliary progenitors differentiate into specific cell types, but external signals remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the cell-extrinsic signals regulating gall bladder progenitor differentiation.
- To elucidate the role of the septum transversum mesenchyme (STM) in gall bladder development.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of embryonic development post-E8.5.
- Investigating signaling pathways including BMP4 and Fgf10/Fgfr2b/Sox9.
- Gene expression analysis (Sox17, Pdx1, Sox9).
Main Results:
- The STM moves posteriorly and induces gall bladder development.
- STM-derived BMP4 maintains Sox17 and suppresses Pdx1 in common progenitors.
- The STM suppresses ectopic liver gene activation via Fgf10/Fgfr2b/Sox9 signaling.
Conclusions:
- The STM is essential for gall bladder development through inductive and suppressive mechanisms.
- BMP4 signaling from the STM promotes gall bladder progenitor fate.
- The Fgf10/Fgfr2b/Sox9 pathway mediated by the STM prevents inappropriate liver development.
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