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Generation of Dispersed Presomitic Mesoderm Cell Cultures for Imaging of the Zebrafish Segmentation Clock in Single Cells
Published on: July 24, 2014
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In vitro characterization of the human segmentation clock.
Margarete Diaz-Cuadros1,2, Daniel E Wagner3, Christoph Budjan1,2
1Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Nature
|January 10, 2020
Summary
Scientists have identified the human segmentation clock, a molecular oscillator controlling vertebral column development. This discovery reveals conserved mechanisms between humans and mice, advancing our understanding of embryogenesis and spine segmentation defects.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Vertebral column segmentation is crucial for embryonic development.
- Somite formation relies on a molecular oscillator called the segmentation clock.
- The existence and characteristics of a human segmentation clock were previously unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether a segmentation clock mechanism exists in human development.
- To characterize the properties and regulation of the human segmentation clock.
- To compare the human segmentation clock with that of model organisms.
Main Methods:
- In vitro differentiation of human and mouse presomitic mesoderm (PSM) cells.
- Analysis of cellular oscillations and gene expression patterns.
- Single-cell RNA sequencing to compare developmental trajectories.
- Perturbation of signaling pathways (FGF, WNT, Notch, YAP) to assess their roles.
Main Results:
- Human PSM cells recapitulate segmentation clock oscillations in vitro.
- Human oscillations have a longer period (5 hours) than mouse oscillations (2.5 hours).
- Both human and mouse PSM cell oscillations are regulated by FGF, WNT, Notch, and YAP signaling.
- FGF signaling was shown to control oscillation phase and period.
Conclusions:
- The human segmentation clock is conserved with that of model organisms.
- This finding is a significant step in understanding human embryogenesis and spinal development.
- The study clarifies the role of signaling pathways in regulating segmentation clock dynamics.
