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Related Experiment Videos

Evidence for developmentally programmed transdifferentiation in mouse esophageal muscle

A Patapoutian1, B J Wold, R A Wagner

  • 1Division of Biology, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena 91125, USA.

Science (New York, N.Y.)
|December 15, 1995
PubMed
Summary

Cellular transdifferentiation is rare. In mice, esophageal smooth muscle converts to skeletal muscle after birth, suggesting a programmed cellular identity switch.

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Area of Science:

  • Developmental biology
  • Cell biology
  • Muscle development

Background:

  • Transdifferentiation, a cell fate switch, is uncommon in vertebrates.
  • Smooth muscle and skeletal muscle originate from distinct embryonic mesodermal precursors.
  • The esophagus's muscle layers present a unique model for studying cell plasticity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the cellular mechanisms underlying esophageal muscle development in mice.
  • To determine if the shift from fetal smooth muscle to postnatal skeletal muscle involves transdifferentiation.
  • To characterize the cellular phenotypes during this developmental transition.

Main Methods:

  • Histological analysis of mouse esophageal tissue at different developmental stages.
  • Immunohistochemistry to identify smooth muscle and skeletal muscle markers.

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  • Observation of cellular morphology and marker expression patterns.

    • Main Results:

    • Esophageal musculature transitions from smooth muscle in the fetus to skeletal muscle postnatally.
    • A transient population of cells co-expressing smooth and skeletal muscle markers was observed.
    • These findings indicate a gradual conversion process at the cellular level.

    Conclusions:

    • The conversion of esophageal smooth muscle to skeletal muscle in mice is a result of programmed transdifferentiation.
    • This process involves individual cells changing their differentiated identity.
    • The mouse esophagus serves as a model for studying transdifferentiation in vivo.