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Updated: May 9, 2026
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The Power of Simplicity: Sea Urchin Embryos as in Vivo Developmental Models for Studying Complex Cell-to-cell Signaling Network Interactions
Published on: February 16, 2017
The dynamic expression pattern of signaling pathways involved in early embryo development
Zifan Song1,2,3,4, Shi Song1,2,3,4, Nan Wang1,2,3,4
1State Key Laboratory of Female Fertility Promotion, Center for Reproductive Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking University Third Hospital, No. 49 North HuaYuan Road, HaiDian District, Beijing, 100191, China.
Cell Communication and Signaling : CCS
|May 7, 2026
Summary
This study reveals how signaling pathway-related genes (SPGs) orchestrate early mammalian embryo development, highlighting conserved gene expression and the roles of ECM signaling, particularly SDC1 and SDC4, in crucial developmental stages.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Genomics
- Cell Signaling
Background:
- Early mammalian embryonic development relies on complex intercellular communication.
- Signaling pathway-related genes (SPGs) govern these networks, mediating key events like blastulation and gastrulation.
- Detailed SPG expression dynamics during early development require further elucidation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically map the dynamic expression patterns of SPGs during early mammalian development.
- To investigate the conservation and regulation of SPGs between humans and mice.
- To identify key signaling pathways and molecules involved in early embryogenesis.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of human and mouse transcriptomic and epigenomic data.
- Examination of gene expression and promoter accessibility changes post-zygotic genome activation (ZGA).
- Functional studies involving SDC1 and SDC4 knockdown in mouse embryos.
Main Results:
- Zygotic genome activation (ZGA) significantly remodels SPG transcription and increases promoter accessibility in both species.
- Maternally inherited SPGs show higher conservation between humans and mice than ZGA-activated genes.
- Extracellular matrix (ECM)-related pathways, including SDC1 and SDC4, are highly enriched and conserved; their knockdown impairs mouse embryo development.
Conclusions:
- SPG dynamics are crucial for early mammalian development, with significant remodeling occurring after ZGA.
- Conserved maternal factors and ECM signaling pathways play vital roles in early embryogenesis.
- SDC1 and SDC4 are important regulators of early embryonic development in mice.
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