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On the nature and function of organizers
Alfonso Martinez Arias1, Ben Steventon1
1Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EH, UK ama11@hermes.cam.ac.uk bjs57@cam.ac.uk.
Development (Cambridge, England)
|March 11, 2018
Summary
Developmental biology's organizer concept, crucial for cell instruction, shows species-specific variations. Amphibian organizers are distinct functional units, unlike the dispersed elements in bird and mammal organizers, prompting a re-evaluation of the concept's universality.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Cell Biology
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Organizers are cell groups that instruct adjacent cells, a key principle in developmental biology.
- Spemann and Mangold first described organizers in newt embryos, inducing secondary axis formation.
- The node in birds and mammals is considered a functional homologue of Spemann's organizer.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the structure and function of organizers across different species.
- To compare the organizational principles of amphibian organizers with those in birds and mammals.
- To reconsider the universality and meaning of the organizer concept in light of cross-species variations.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of organizer structures and functions.
- Review of existing literature on Spemann's organizer and the node.
- In-depth examination of cellular instructive potential across species.
Main Results:
- Amphibian organizers consist of a contingent collection of functionally specific elements.
- In birds and mammals, organizer elements are dispersed in time and space, not forming a single cohesive unit.
- The functional homologue, the node, differs structurally from the amphibian organizer.
Conclusions:
- The structure and function of organizers vary significantly across species.
- The universality of the organizer concept, as initially defined, may need re-evaluation.
- Understanding these differences is crucial for a comprehensive view of embryonic development.
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