Project description:The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and migration of cranial neural crest cells are critical processes that occur in the early embryo that permit proper craniofacial patterning. Disruptions in these processes not only impair development but also lead to various diseases, underscoring the need for their detailed understanding at the molecular level. The chick embryo has served historically as an excellent model for human embryonic development. While chick cranial neural crest cell EMT and migration have been characterized at the transcript level, studies at the protein level—to allow direct measurement of the active players—have not been undertaken to date. In this study, we applied mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics to establish a deep proteomics profile of the midbrain region during early embryonic development. We developed a proteomics method combining optimal lysis conditions and offline fractionation with nanoflow liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution MS to analyze the tissue from this region, which identified >5,900 proteins involved in key pathways related to neural crest cell EMT and migration such as signaling, proteolysis/extracellular matrix (ECM), and transcriptional regulation. This study offers valuable insight into important developmental processes occurring in the midbrain region and demonstrates the utility of proteomics for characterization of various tissues during chick embryogenesis.
Project description:A systematic survey of the transcriptional status of individual segments of the developing chick hindbrain (r1-5) and the adjacent region of the embryonic midbrain (m) during the HH11 stage of chick development Affymetrix Chicken GeneChip Expression Study Paralell comparison of defined regions of the neural tube during early chick development
Project description:A systematic survey of the transcriptional status of individual segments of the developing chick hindbrain (r1-5) and the adjacent region of the embryonic midbrain (m) during the HH11 stage of chick development Affymetrix Chicken GeneChip Expression Study
Project description:We characterized the proteome of the auditory brainstem of a chick embryo on embryonic day 13, when apoptosis occurs in auditory nuclei. We identified caspase substrates by searching the peptidome for peptides C-terminal to caspase-typical cleavage sites.
Project description:Craniofacial morphogenesis depends on complex cell fate decisions during the differentiation of post-migratory cranial neural crest cells. Molecular mechanisms of cell differentiation of mesenchymal cells to developing bones, cartilage, teeth, tongue, and other craniofacial tissues are still poorly understood. We performed single-cell transcriptomic analysis of craniofacial mesenchymal cells derived from cranial NCCs in mouse embryo. Using FACS sorting of Wnt1-Cre2 progeny, we carefully map the cell heterogeneity in the craniofacial region during the initial stages of bone and cartilage formation.
Project description:The formation of the mammalian brain requires regionalization and morphogenesis of the cranial neural plate, which transforms from an epithelial sheet into a closed tube that provides the structural foundation for neural patterning and circuit formation. Sonic hedgehog (SHH) signaling is important for cranial neural plate patterning and closure, but the transcriptional changes that give rise to the spatially regulated cell fates and behaviors that build the cranial neural tube have not been systematically analyzed. Here we used single-cell RNA sequencing to generate an atlas of gene expression at six consecutive stages of cranial neural tube closure in the mouse embryo. Ordering transcriptional profiles relative to the major axes of gene expression predicted spatially regulated expression of 870 genes along the anterior-posterior and mediolateral axes of the cranial neural plate and reproduced known expression patterns with over 85% accuracy. Single-cell RNA sequencing of embryos with activated SHH signaling revealed distinct SHH-regulated transcriptional programs in the developing forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain, suggesting a complex interplay between anterior-posterior and mediolateral patterning systems. These results define a spatiotemporally resolved map of gene expression during cranial neural tube closure and provide a resource for investigating the transcriptional events that drive early mammalian brain development.
Project description:Hox genes are highly conserved, master regulators of spatial patterning in the embryo, but how these factors trigger regional morphogenesis has largely remained a mystery. In the developing gut, Hox genes help demarcate identities of the small and large intestines early in embryogenesis, which ultimately leads to their specialization in both form and function. While the midgut forms villi, the hindgut develops flat, brain-like sulci that resolve into heterogeneous outgrowths. Combining mechanical measurements of the embryonic chick intestine and mathematical modeling, we demonstrate that the posterior Hox gene HOXD13 regulates biophysical phenomena that shape the hindgut lumen. We further show that HOXD13 acts through the TGFβ pathway to thicken, stiffen, and promote isotropic growth of the subepithelial mesenchyme; together, these features lead to hindgut surface buckling. TGFβ, in turn, promotes collagen deposition to affect mesenchymal geometry and growth. We thus identify a cascade of events downstream of positional genetic identity that direct posterior intestinal morphogenesis.
Project description:Hox genes are highly conserved, master regulators of spatial patterning in the embryo, but how these factors trigger regional morphogenesis has largely remained a mystery. In the developing gut, Hox genes help demarcate identities of the small and large intestines early in embryogenesis, which ultimately leads to their specialization in both form and function. While the midgut forms villi, the hindgut develops flat, brain-like sulci that resolve into heterogeneous outgrowths. Combining mechanical measurements of the embryonic chick intestine and mathematical modeling, we demonstrate that the posterior Hox gene HOXD13 regulates biophysical phenomena that shape the hindgut lumen. We further show that HOXD13 acts through the TGFβ pathway to thicken, stiffen, and promote isotropic growth of the subepithelial mesenchyme; together, these features lead to hindgut surface buckling. TGFβ, in turn, promotes collagen deposition to affect mesenchymal geometry and growth. We thus identify a cascade of events downstream of positional genetic identity that direct posterior intestinal morphogenesis.