Temporal dynamics of BMP/Nodal ratio drive tissue-specific gastrulation morphogenesis.

Anteroposterior (AP) elongation of the vertebrate body plan is driven by convergence and extension (C&E) gastrulation movements in both the mesoderm and neuroectoderm, but how or whether molecular regulation of C&E differs between tissues remains an open question. Using a zebrafish explant model of AP axis extension, we show that C&E of the neuroectoderm and mesoderm can be uncoupled ex vivo, and that morphogenesis of individual tissues results from distinct morphogen signaling dynamics. Using precise temporal manipulation of BMP and Nodal signaling, we identify a critical developmental window during which high or low BMP/Nodal ratios induce neuroectoderm- or mesoderm-driven C&E, respectively.

Temporal dynamics of BMP/Nodal ratio drive tissue-specific gastrulation morphogenesis.

Anteroposterior (AP) elongation of the vertebrate body plan is driven by convergence and extension (C&E) gastrulation movements in both the mesoderm and neuroectoderm, but how or whether molecular regulation of C&E differs between tissues remains an open question. Using a zebrafish explant model of AP axis extension, we show that C&E of the neuroectoderm and mesoderm can be uncoupled , and that morphogenesis of individual tissues results from distinct morphogen signaling dynamics. Using precise temporal manipulation of BMP and Nodal signaling, we identify a critical developmental window during which high or low BMP/Nodal ratios induce neuroectoderm- or mesoderm-driven C&E, respectively.

Gastrulation morphogenesis in synthetic systems.

Recent advances in pluripotent stem cell culture allow researchers to generate not only most embryonic cell types, but also morphologies of many embryonic structures, entirely in vitro. This recreation of embryonic form from naïve cells, known as synthetic morphogenesis, has important implications for both developmental biology and regenerative medicine. However, the capacity of stem cell-based models to recapitulate the morphogenetic cell behaviors that shape natural embryos remains unclear.