extending and retracting numerous actin-rich protrusions during tubule morphogenesis. Interestingly, tubule morphogenesis fails in mutant embryos lacking tip cells and supports a role for tip cells during this phase of tubule development. Moreover, the tip cells make highly specific contacts with target tissues once tubule morphogenesis is complete and these persist during larval life, raising ...

Embryonic development requires a complex series of relative cellular movements and shape changes that are generally referred to as morphogenesis. Although some of the mechanisms underlying morphogenesis have been identified, the process is still poorly understood. Here, we address mechanisms of epithelial morphogenesis using the vertebrate lens as a model system. We show that the apical constri...

Many mammalian organs undergo branching morphogenesis to create highly arborized structures with maximized surface area for specialized organ function. Cooperative cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesions that sculpt the emerging tissue architecture are guided by dynamic basement membranes. Properties of the basement membrane are reciprocally controlled by the interacting epithelial and mesenchymal ...

Vascular morphogenesis is a key process for development, reproduction, and pathogenesis. Thus understanding the mechanisms of this process is of pathophysiological importance. Despite the fact that collagen I is the most abundant and potent promorphogenic molecule known, the molecular mechanisms by which this protein regulates endothelial cell tube morphogenesis are still unclear. Here we provi...

In these laboratory exercises, developed for a sophomore/junior-level undergraduate course in Developmental Biology, students explore the processes of differentiation and morphogenesis in sea urchin embryos by monitoring the spatio-temporal expression pattern of the endoderm marker, alkaline phosphatase. Once students have determined the normal alkaline phosphatase expression pattern, they are ...

These are consistent with proposals that Fgf10 expression in the developing sensory tissues is required to induce non-sensory development. To determine the otic epithelial functions of Fgf3 and Fgf10, we generated double conditional mutants using TgPax2Cre, and found that as expected, both genes play roles in semicircular canal morphogenesis. Unexpectedly, these genes also appear to have redund...

These are consistent with proposals that Fgf10 expression in the developing sensory tissues is required to induce non-sensory development. To determine the otic epithelial functions of Fgf3 and Fgf10, we generated double conditional mutants using TgPax2Cre, and found that as expected, both genes play roles in semicircular canal morphogenesis. Unexpectedly, these genes also appear to have redund...

4294 Cell Cycle Volume 11 issue 23 A common hallmark of many fungal species is the capacity to undergo cellular morphogenesis programs, which, for fungal pathogens, play critical roles in sexual reproduction, nutrient acquisition and virulence. Fungal morphogenesis comprises a diversity of processes, ranging from spore germination and branching in filamentous fungi such as the pathogen Aspergil...

Many embryonic organs undergo branching morphogenesis to maximize their functional epithelial surface area. Branching morphogenesis requires the coordinated interplay of multiple types of cells with the extracellular matrix (ECM). During branching morphogenesis, new branches form by "budding" or "clefting." Cell migration, proliferation, rearrangement, deformation, and ECM dynamics have varied ...

extending and retracting numerous actin-rich protrusions during tubule morphogenesis. Interestingly, tubule morphogenesis fails in mutant embryos lacking tip cells and supports a role for tip cells during this phase of tubule development. Moreover, the tip cells make highly specific contacts with target tissues once tubule morphogenesis is complete and these persist during larval life, raising ...