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Dynein-Mediated Regional Cell Division Reorientation Shapes a Tailbud Embryo
1Asamushi Research Center for Marine Biology, Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, 9 Sakamoto, Asamushi, Aomori 039-3501, Japan.
Iscience
|March 22, 2020
Summary
Oriented cell division in ascidian embryos shapes tailbud morphogenesis. Posterior epidermal cells divide along the anteroposterior axis, driving epithelial bending and tissue formation.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Cell Biology
- Embryogenesis
Background:
- Cell division orientation is crucial for tissue development and elongation.
- Its role in other tissue morphogenesis, like bending, remains largely unexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of oriented cell division in tailbud embryo shaping.
- To understand how differential cell division contributes to tissue morphogenesis.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the ascidian Halocynthia roretzi as a model organism.
- Analyzed epidermal cell division orientation and its impact on tissue shape.
Main Results:
- Observed distinct cell division orientations in anterior and posterior epidermis, creating an hourglass-like epithelial bend.
- Found that posterior epidermal cells exhibit anterior dynein polarization and undergo dynein-dependent spindle rotation.
- Demonstrated that this division pattern facilitates posterior circumferential constriction and epithelial bending.
Conclusions:
- Oriented cell division is vital for shaping tailbud embryos through epithelial bending.
- Dynein-dependent cell division in posterior epidermis drives morphogenesis.
- This study provides key insights into the broader role of oriented cell division in tissue development.
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