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Mesodermal patterning by an inducer gradient depends on secondary cell-cell communication

P A Wilson1, D A Melton

  • 1Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138.

Current Biology : CB
|August 1, 1994
PubMed
Summary
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Cellular communication, not just initial responses to activin concentration, drives embryonic patterning. This suggests secondary interactions are key for pattern formation in developmental biology.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Biology
  • Cell Signaling
  • Embryogenesis

Background:

  • Morphogen gradients are crucial for embryonic patterning, but cellular interpretation of these signals remains unclear.
  • Activin, a secreted growth factor, induces mesodermal tissue formation in a concentration-dependent manner in Xenopus.
  • This study investigates the roles of individual cell responses and intercellular interactions in activin-mediated patterning.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To understand how cells translate extracellular inducer concentrations into organized cell types.
  • To differentiate between direct cellular responses to activin and subsequent cell-cell interactions in mesodermal patterning.
  • To explore the mechanisms underlying pattern formation in early embryos.

Main Methods:

  • Examining Xenopus mesodermal patterning in response to varying concentrations of activin.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Assessing the initial responses of dispersed cells to activin.
  • Analyzing the effects of reaggregating induced cells and mixing cells with different induction histories.

    • Main Results:

    • The initial cellular response to activin concentration lacks distinct thresholds and gene expression domains.
    • Reaggregation of induced cells is necessary for the emergence of ordered differentiation steps, indicating secondary interactions.
    • Mixing cells induced at different activin doses results in a consensus response, not a mosaic.

    Conclusions:

    • Intercellular communication among responding cells is fundamental to activin's patterning influence.
    • Embryonic pattern formation relies on secondary interactions, not solely on initial cell responses to morphogen gradients.
    • These findings offer insights into how inducer gradients may function in other developmental systems.