Tooth development is controlled by reciprocal epithelial-mesenchymal interactions. Complete teeth can form when culturing and implanting re-associations between single embryonic dental epithelial and mesenchymal cells. Although epithelial histogenesis is clear, very little is known about cell diversity and patterning in the mesenchyme. The aim of this work was to compare the situation in engine...

During early limb development, distal tip ectoderm is induced by the underlying mesenchyme to form the apical ectodermal ridge. Subsequent limb growth and patterning depend on reciprocal signaling between the mesenchyme and ridge. Mice that are homozygous for mutations at the limb deformity (ld) locus do not form a proper ridge and the anteroposterior axis of the limb is shortened. Skeletal ana...

The inductive action of duodenal mesenchyme on the cytodifferentiation of stomach endoderm in chick embryos was investigated in vitro with electron microscopy and immunofluorescence. Morphologically undifferentiated endoderm of the stomach of a 4-day embryo could differentiate only into a mucous secretory epithelium when cultured in the absence of mesenchyme. However, when cultivated in recombi...

Retinoic acid (RA) is required for patterning of the posterior nervous system, but its role in the retina remains unclear. RA is synthesized in discrete regions of the embryonic eye by three retinaldehyde dehydrogenases (RALDHs) displaying distinct expression patterns. Overlapping functions of these enzymes have hampered genetic efforts to elucidate RA function in the eye. Here, we report Raldh...

The paired-related homeobox gene, prx-1, is expressed in the postmigratory cranial mesenchyme of all facial prominences and is required for the formation of proximal first arch derivatives. We introduced lacZ into the prx-1 locus to study the developmental fate of cells destined to express prx-1 in the prx-1 mutant background. lacZ was normally expressed in prx-1(neo); prx-1(lacZ )mutant cranio...

Morphogenesis of the lung is regulated by reciprocal signaling between epithelium and mesenchyme. In previous studies, we have shown that FGF9 signals are essential for lung mesenchyme development. Using Fgf9 loss-of-function and inducible gain-of-function mouse models, we show that lung mesenchyme can be divided into two distinct regions: the sub-mesothelial and sub-epithelial compartments, wh...

The Nuclear factor I (NFI) transcription factor family consists of four genes (Nfia, Nfib, Nfic and Nfix) that regulate the development of multiple organ systems in mice and humans. Nfib is expressed in both lung mesenchyme and epithelium and mice lacking Nfib have severe lung maturation defects and die at birth. Here we continue our analysis of the phenotype of Nfib⁻/⁻ lungs and show that Nfib...

In considering the mechanism of transformation of epithelium to mesenchyme in the embryo, it is generally assumed that the ability to give rise to fibroblast-like cells is lost as epithelia mature. We reported previously that a definitive embryonic epithelium, that of the anterior lens, gives rise to freely migrating mesenchyme-like cells when suspended in type I collagen matrices. Here, we sho...

While urothelial signals, including sonic hedgehog (Shh), drive bladder mesenchyme differentiation, it is unclear which pathways within the mesenchyme are critical for its development. Studies have shown that fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (Fgfr2) is necessary for kidney and ureter mesenchymal development. Our objective was to determine the role of Fgfr2 in bladder mesenchyme. We used Tbx1...