6 documents found, page 1 of 1
Tail Bud Progenitor Activity Relies on a Network Comprising Gdf11, Lin28, and H...
Aires, Rita; de Lemos, Luisa; Nóvoa, Ana; Jurberg, Arnon Dias; Mascrez, Bénédicte; Duboule, Denis; Mallo, MoisésDuring the trunk-to-tail transition, axial progenitors relocate from the epiblast to the tail bud. Here, we show that this process entails a major regulatory switch, bringing tail bud progenitors under Gdf11 signaling control. Gdf11 mutant embryos have an increased number of such progenitors that favor neural differentiation routes, resulting in a dramatic expansion of the neural tube. Moreover, inhibition of G...
Deconstructing the molecular mechanisms shaping the vertebrate body plan
Aires, Rita; Dias, André; Mallo, MoisésThe large display of body shapes and sizes observed among vertebrates ultimately represent variations of a common basic body plan. This likely results from the use of homologous developmental schemes, just differentially tinkered both in amplitude and timing by natural selection. In this review, we will revisit, discuss and combine old ideas with new concepts to update our view on how the vertebrate body is bui...
Oct4 Is a Key Regulator of Vertebrate Trunk Length Diversity
Aires, Rita; Jurberg, Arnon D.; Leal, Francisca; Nóvoa, Ana; Cohn, Martin J.; Mallo, MoisésVertebrates exhibit a remarkably broad variation in trunk and tail lengths. However, the evolutionary and developmental origins of this diversity remain largely unknown. Posterior Hox genes were proposed to be major players in trunk length diversification in vertebrates, but functional studies have so far failed to support this view. Here we identify the pluripotency factor Oct4 as a key regulator of trunk leng...
Compartment-dependent activities of Wnt3a/β-catenin signaling during vertebrate...
Jurberg, Arnon Dias; Aires, Rita; Nóvoa, Ana; Rowland, Jennifer Elizabeth; Mallo, MoisésExtension of the vertebrate body results from the concerted activity of many signals in the posterior embryonic end. Among them, Wnt3a has been shown to play relevant roles in the regulation of axial progenitor activity, mesoderm formation and somitogenesis. However, its impact on axial growth remains to be fully understood. Using a transgenic approach in the mouse, we found that the effect of Wnt3a signaling v...
V-ATPase Proton Pumping Activity Is Required for Adult Zebrafish Appendage Rege...
Monteiro, Joana; Aires, Rita; Becker, Jörg D.; Jacinto, António; Certal, Ana C.; Rodríguez-León, JoaquínThe activity of ion channels and transporters generates ion-specific fluxes that encode electrical and/or chemical signals with biological significance. Even though it is long known that some of those signals are crucial for regeneration, only in recent years the corresponding molecular sources started to be identified using mainly invertebrate or larval vertebrate models. We used adult zebrafish caudal fin as ...
Switching Axial Progenitors from Producing Trunk to Tail Tissues in Vertebrate ...
Jurberg, Arnon Dias; Aires, Rita; Varela-Lasheras, Irma; Nóvoa, Ana; Mallo, MoisésThe vertebrate body is made by progressive addition of new tissue from progenitors at the posterior embryonic end. Axial extension involves different mechanisms that produce internal organs in the trunk but not in the tail. We show that Gdf11 signaling is a major coordinator of the trunk-to-tail transition. Without Gdf11 signaling, the switch from trunk to tail is significantly delayed, and its premature activa...