Organogenesis articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    Heart development requires compaction of the ventricular wall into a dense myocardium at mid-gestation. Here, Rhee and colleagues show that the chromatin remodeller Ino80 is critical for the formation of the coronary vasculature, and show that coronary vessels are needed for successful cardiac compaction during embryonic development.

    • Siyeon Rhee
    • , Jae I. Chung
    •  & Kristy Red-Horse

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Chemical screens can identify small molecules that affect biological development, with potential therapeutic value. Here, the authors use a modular approach in a screen in zebrafish embryos, varying concentration, genotype and timing to target segmentation disorders, birth defects that affect the spinal column.

    • Sandra Richter
    • , Ulrike Schulze
    •  & Andrew C. Oates

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The mammary epithelium comprises two cell lineages but the heterogeneity amongst these during development is unclear. Here, the authors report single-cell RNA sequencing of the mouse mammary epithelium at four developmental stages, revealing diversity in both compartments and a transcriptional shift with puberty onset.

    • Bhupinder Pal
    • , Yunshun Chen
    •  & Jane E. Visvader

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Cell fusion regulates several physiological events, for example, fusion of myoblasts in skeletal muscle formation, but it is unclear if this process occurs in the heart. Here, the authors use transgenic reporters in zebrafish to show transient cardiomyocyte fusion, modulating cardiac development and function.

    • Suphansa Sawamiphak
    • , Zacharias Kontarakis
    •  & Didier Y. R. Stainier

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Fibro-adipogenic progenitors (FAPs) form part of interstitial muscle connective tissue (MCT) in adults but the origin of this non-myogenic lineage is unclear. Here, the authors show that Odd skipped related 1 (Osr1) in mice marks embryonic MCT, giving rise to FAPs, and loss of Osr1 in the limb causes muscle defects.

    • Pedro Vallecillo-García
    • , Mickael Orgeur
    •  & Sigmar Stricker

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The pancreas arises from a small population of cells but how individual cells contribute to organ formation is unclear. Here, the authors deconstruct pancreas organogenesis into clonal units, showing that single progenitors give rise to heterogeneous multi-lineage and endocrinogenic single-lineage clones.

    • Hjalte List Larsen
    • , Laura Martín-Coll
    •  & Anne Grapin-Botton

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The transcription factor Nkx2.5 is essential for heart development. Here, the authors identify a previously unknown expression domain for Nkx2.5 in the emu wing and explore its role in diminished wing bud development in the flightless emu, compared with three other birds that have functional wings.

    • Peter G. Farlie
    • , Nadia M. Davidson
    •  & Craig A. Smith

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Cellular fusion is essential for skeletal muscle development. Here the authors identify Minion as a microprotein required for myoblast fusion and skeletal muscle formation, and show that co-expression of Minion and Myomaker is sufficient to induce cytoskeletal rearrangement and cell fusion even in non-muscle cells.

    • Qiao Zhang
    • , Ajay A. Vashisht
    •  & Srihari C. Sampath

  • Article
    | Open Access

    It is unclear which progenitors define different regions of the heart. Here, the authors find Secreted frizzled-related protein 5 is expressed in murine progenitor cells for the outflow tract, first heart field, and sinus venosus, but not the right ventricle, and Wnt inhibition prevents progenitor proliferation.

    • Masayuki Fujii
    • , Akane Sakaguchi
    •  & Hiroki Kokubo

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The progenitor populations that contribute to the key cardiac lineages in a chamber-specific manner are unknown. Here, the authors identifyFoxa2+ progenitor population, which is specified at gastrulation, as contributing primarily to cardiovascular cells of both ventricles and the epicardium in mice.

    • Evan Bardot
    • , Damelys Calderon
    •  & Nicole C. Dubois

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Liver and pancreas cells arise from a common endoderm progenitor in the embryo, but what regulates their cell fate is unclear. Here, the authors show that expression of the Three-Amino-acid-Loop-Extension (TALE) homeobox TG-interacting factor 2 (TGIF2) in hepatocytes reprogrammes the cells to a pancreatic fate.

    • Nuria Cerdá-Esteban
    • , Heike Naumann
    •  & Francesca M. Spagnoli

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Ingression of cells from the lateral plate mesoderm (LPM) initiates gonad differentiation but how these events are triggered is unclear. Here, the authors show that gonadal progenitor cells at the ventromedial LPM initiate gonadogenesis, and are activated by Hedgehog and BMP4 signalling.

    • Takashi Yoshino
    • , Hidetaka Murai
    •  & Daisuke Saito

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Pericytes and vascular smooth muscle cells are crucial for functional blood vessels, but the developmental sources of these cells are incompletely understood. Here, the authors show that endocardial endothelial cells give rise to cardiac mural cells, which are controlled by Wnt signalling.

    • Qi Chen
    • , Hui Zhang
    •  & Ralf H. Adams

  • Article
    | Open Access

    How p53 is restrained in arterial maturation during embryonic development is unclear. Here, the authors show that β-catenin C-terminal interactions inhibit CREB binding protein-mediated acetylation and activation of p53 in smooth muscle cells, and that this function is essential for artery formation.

    • Dario F. Riascos-Bernal
    • , Prameladevi Chinnasamy
    •  & Nicholas E. S. Sibinga

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The molecular signals regulating the decision of neural stem cells (NSC) to proliferate versus differentiate are unclear. Here, the authors identify the nuclear receptor NR5A2 as coordinating cell-cycle exit with differentiation of NSCs via direct actions on Ink4, Prox1, Notch1 and JAK/STAT.

    • Athanasios Stergiopoulos
    •  & Panagiotis K. Politis

  • Article
    | Open Access

    14-3-3 proteins regulate several signalling pathways but often act redundantly; however, the molecular mechanisms behind such redundancy are unclear. Here, the authors show that 14-3-3 proteins regulate two interacting components of Tor signalling in Drosophila, Tctp and Rheb, disrupting organ development.

    • Thao Phuong Le
    • , Linh Thuong Vuong
    •  & Kwang-Wook Choi

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Muscle PDGFRβ+ cells are interstitial stem/progenitor cells with myogenic potential. Here, Yao et al. show that PDGFRβ+cell-derived laminin actively regulates their proliferation, differentiation and fate determination.

    • Yao Yao
    • , Erin H. Norris
    •  & Sidney Strickland

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The main function of the mammary gland is to produce milk to sustain offspring. Here, the authors show that secretory alveolar cells in the lactating gland in several species are binucleated, which increases milk production, and that binucleation is regulated by Aurora kinase-A and Polo-like kinase-1.

    • Anne C. Rios
    • , Nai Yang Fu
    •  & Jane E. Visvader

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The precise positioning of organ progenitor cells is essential for organ development and function. Here the authors use live imaging and mathematical modelling to show that the confinement of a motile progenitor cell population results from coupled physical barriers and cell-cell interactions.

    • Azadeh Paksa
    • , Jan Bandemer
    •  & Erez Raz

  • Article
    | Open Access

    In Drosophila, Fasciclin 2 (Fas2) has been mainly studied in the nervous system, yet this adhesion protein is more abundant in the adult renal tubule. Here the authors show that Fas2 is essential for brush border maintenance in renal tubules through regulation of microvilli length and organization.

    • Kenneth A. Halberg
    • , Stephanie M. Rainey
    •  & Julian A. T. Dow

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Recent findings have challenged the established concept that retinoic acid (RA) induces foetal germ cells to enter meiosis. Here, Bowles et al. identify the enzyme ALDH1A1 as a source of ovarian RA that may induce meiosis even when other RA-synthetic enzymes are deleted.

    • Josephine Bowles
    • , Chun-Wei Feng
    •  & Peter Koopman

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The molecular mechanisms behind how autophagy may impact on developmental pathways and cell fate decisions are unclear. Here Wu et al.identify Notch receptors being taken up into ATG16L1-positive autophagosomes and, using a mouse mutant model, show that changes in autophagy can impact on stem cell fate.

    • Xiaoting Wu
    • , Angeleen Fleming
    •  & David C. Rubinsztein

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The transcriptional regulators E2F/Dp play a critical role in cell-cycle regulation, but it is unclear why E2F-deficient flies die. Here, the authors show this is linked to the function of E2F in adult Drosophilaskeletal muscle, with the contribution of E2f1 being most important in post-fusion muscle.

    • Maria Paula Zappia
    •  & Maxim V. Frolov

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Chloride intracellular channel (CLIC) 4 is an ion channel, localized in the cytoplasm, and first identified as an actin binding protein. Here, Chou et al.knockout CLIC4 in mice and observe tubulogenesis and renal proximal tubule dilation defects, which is caused by irregular actin and endosomal trafficking.

    • Szu-Yi Chou
    • , Kuo-Shun Hsu
    •  & Ching-Hwa Sung

  • Article |

    Long intervening noncoding RNAs (lincRNAs) are an emerging class of molecular regulators with diverse functions. Here the authors identify Linc-YY1, a novel lincRNA transcribed from the noncoding region of the mouse YY1 gene, that binds to YY1 protein and thereby regulates skeletal muscle differentiation and regeneration.

    • Liang Zhou
    • , Kun Sun
    •  & Huating Wang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Chemokine-driven infiltration of inflammatory macrophages is central to the muscle regenerative response to injury. Here the authors show that the function of infiltrating macrophages is also important as notexin-induced muscle injury in mice is rescued by CX3CR1 knockout owing to enhanced ApoE production.

    • Ludovic Arnold
    • , Hélène Perrin
    •  & Christophe Combadiere

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The specification of positional values along the proximo-distal axis (shoulder to digits) of the vertebrate limb is an unresolved issue. By using heterochronic transplants of distal mesenchyme, the authors show that the zeugopod and autopod (elbow to digits) are progressively specified in an intrinsically timed manner.

    • Patricia Saiz-Lopez
    • , Kavitha Chinnaiya
    •  & Matthew Towers

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Newts can regenerate amputated limbs via unknown mechanism involving dedifferentiation of cells in the stump into progenitors that contribute to the new appendages. Here the authors show that skeletal muscle dedifferentiation in regenerating newt limbs relies on a diverted programmed cell death response by myofibers.

    • Heng Wang
    • , Sara Lööf
    •  & András Simon

  • Article |

    The regulation of lumen formation and dimension is a key question in organ morphogenesis. Using the zebrafish inner ear as a model, here the authors show that the growth of a cavity depends on epithelial thinning and mitotic cell rounding.

    • Esteban Hoijman
    • , Davide Rubbini
    •  & Berta Alsina

  • Article |

    The transcriptional regulation of morphogenetic effectors during eye development is poorly understood. Here, the authors show that transcription of an endocytosis regulator Opois crucial for the neural retina development in zebrafish and activated by the interaction of the transcription factor Vsx2 and retinal enhancer H6_10137.

    • Ines Gago-Rodrigues
    • , Ana Fernández-Miñán
    •  & Juan R. Martinez-Morales

  • Article |

    Angiogenesis is regulated by dynamic changes in endothelial cell contact. Here, the authors show that signals from endothelial cell junctions affect the subcellular localization and function of Yes-associated protein, ultimately modifying angiopoietin-2 expression and angiogenic activity of endothelial cells.

    • Hyun-Jung Choi
    • , Haiying Zhang
    •  & Young-Guen Kwon

  • Article |

    Differentiation of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) into neural lineages involves epigenetic changes. Here the authors show that transient histone deacetylation promotes the transition from epiblast stem cells to neural progenitors during mouse ESC differentiation and show that this effect is partly mediated by the restriction of Nodal signalling by histone deacetylase 1.

    • Pingyu Liu
    • , Xiaoyang Dou
    •  & Naihe Jing

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Claspers are copulatory organs found in male cartilaginous fishes. Here, the authors show that androgen receptor signalling maintains the Shh pathway to promote clasper development in male skates and suggest the importance of hormonal regulation in the evolution of male copulatory organs.

    • Katherine L. O’Shaughnessy
    • , Randall D. Dahn
    •  & Martin J. Cohn

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The bidirectional Eph-ephrin signalling regulates a myriad of developmental programmes. Zhang et al. show that EphB4 forward signalling is crucial for lymphatic valve development, providing new insight into this important developmental process previously thought to be regulated by ephrinB2-dependent reverse signalling.

    • Gu Zhang
    • , John Brady
    •  & Minhong Yan

  • Article |

    Skeletal development relies on endochondral ossification. Here the authors show that transcription factors Foxc1 and Gli2 interact to modulate expression of Ihh target genes that control endochondral ossification, and that disruption of this interaction partly underlies skeletal disorders in the Axenfeld–Rieger syndrome.

    • Michiko Yoshida
    • , Kenji Hata
    •  & Toshiyuki Yoneda

  • Article |

    The Yes-associated protein (YAP) is a core effector of the Hippo pathway, which regulates proliferation and apoptosis in organ development, but its function in adult skeletal muscle remains poorly defined. Here the authors show that YAP is an essential regulator of myofibre size in adult skeletal muscle, via interaction with TEAD transcription factors.

    • K. I. Watt
    • , B. J. Turner
    •  & P. Gregorevic

  • Article |

    Wnt/planar cell polarity (PCP) signalling regulates angiogenesis in vertebrates. Here the authors show that the E3 ubiquitin ligase PDZRN3 ubiquitinates the PCP-signalling protein Dishevelled 3 to promote Wnt/PCP signalling, directing embryonic and postnatal remodelling of the vasculature in mouse.

    • Raj N. Sewduth
    • , Béatrice Jaspard-Vinassa
    •  & Cécile Duplàa

  • Article |

    The transcription factor Wilms’ tumour 1 (WT1) regulates kidney development, and Wt1 mutations are associated with renal cancer. Here the authors identify WT1 target genes in renal progenitors during early kidney development in mouse embryos and show that loss of Wt1suppresses FGF and induces BMP signalling.

    • Fariba Jian Motamedi
    • , Danielle A. Badro
    •  & Andreas Schedl

  • Article
    | Open Access

    During vertebrate limb patterning the morphogen Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) is produced by cells of the polarizing region (ZPA). Here, the authors show, using chick embryo grafting experiments, that the duration of Shh expression by ZPA cells is defined by a cell cycle clock that is started and can also be reset by changes in retinoic acid signalling.

    • Kavitha Chinnaiya
    • , Cheryll Tickle
    •  & Matthew Towers

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Hes1 is an important regulator of progenitor maintenance and timed differentiation, which shows oscillatory expression. Here, the authors combine experimental data and mathematical modelling to show that the interaction between miRNA-9 and Hes1 can predict progenitor transition from one cell state to another, as well as the timing of this transition.

    • Marc Goodfellow
    • , Nicholas E. Phillips
    •  & Nancy Papalopulu

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