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Gastrulation

Gastrulation

Gastrulation establishes the three primary tissues of an embryo: the ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. This developmental process relies on a series of intricate cellular movements, which in humans transforms a flat, “bilaminar disc” composed of two cell sheets into a three-tiered structure. In the resulting embryo, the endoderm serves as the bottom layer, and stacked directly above it is the intermediate mesoderm, and then the uppermost ectoderm. Respectively, these tissue strata...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 10, 2025

Tracking Morphogenetic Tissue Deformations in the Early Chick Embryo

Tracking Morphogenetic Tissue Deformations in the Early Chick Embryo

Published on: October 17, 2011

Quantifying endodermal strains during heart tube formation in the developing chicken embryo.

Joshua M Hack¹, Nareen Z Anwar¹, John G Jackson¹

¹Department of Bioengineering, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, United States.

Journal of Biomechanics

|February 14, 2023

Summary

The anterior endoderm actively deforms to drive embryonic heart tube formation. Inhibiting actomyosin contractility or FGF signaling disrupts these crucial movements, highlighting their regulatory role.

Keywords:

Actomyosin contractility Biomechanics Cardiac development Fibroblast growth factor (FGF)Mechanobiology Morphogenesis

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Last Updated: Aug 10, 2025

Tracking Morphogenetic Tissue Deformations in the Early Chick Embryo

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Published on: October 17, 2011

An ex-ovo Chicken Embryo Culture System Suitable for Imaging and Microsurgery Applications

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A Novel Ex Ovo Banding Technique to Alter Intracardiac Hemodynamics in an Embryonic Chicken System

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Published on: May 13, 2016

Area of Science:

Developmental Biology
Cellular Mechanics
Embryogenesis

Background:

Heart tube formation in avian embryos involves cardiac progenitor cells migrating to the midline.
The underlying endoderm actively contracts to facilitate this migration.
The precise morphogenetic deformations and regulatory signaling pathways of the endoderm are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the morphogenetic deformations of the anterior endoderm during heart tube formation.
To identify the signaling pathways regulating endodermal movements.
To elucidate the contribution of active endodermal deformations to heart development.

Main Methods:

Fluorescently labeling endodermal cells in early chicken embryos.
Tracking cell motion to compute time-varying strains along the anterior endoderm.
Pharmacologically inhibiting myosin II (for actomyosin contractility) and fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling to assess their effects.

Main Results:

A mediolateral gradient in endodermal shortening was observed around the anterior intestinal portal (AIP).
Significant convergence and extension movements were detected both anterior and lateral to the AIP.
Inhibition of actomyosin contractility or FGF signaling disrupted these active endodermal deformations.

Conclusions:

Active deformations of the anterior endoderm are essential for embryonic heart tube formation.
Actomyosin contractility and FGF signaling are critical regulators of these endodermal movements.
This study clarifies the role of endodermal mechanics in early heart development.