PUBLICATION

Zebrafish embryonic explants undergo genetically encoded self-assembly

Authors
Schauer, A., Pinheiro, D., Hauschild, R., Heisenberg, C.P.
ID
ZDB-PUB-200422-34
Date
2020
Source
eLIFE   9: (Journal)
Registered Authors
Heisenberg, Carl-Philipp
Keywords
developmental biology, regenerative medicine, stem cells, zebrafish
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Blastoderm/transplantation
  • Body Patterning
  • Embryonic Development/genetics
  • Embryonic Development/physiology*
  • Mesoderm/embryology
  • Morphogenesis
  • Nodal Protein/physiology
  • Signal Transduction/physiology
  • Zebrafish/embryology*
PubMed
32250246 Full text @ Elife
Abstract
Embryonic stem cell cultures are thought to self-organize into embryoid bodies, able to undergo symmetry-breaking, germ layer specification and even morphogenesis. Yet, it is unclear how to reconcile this remarkable self-organization capacity with classical experiments demonstrating key roles for extrinsic biases by maternal factors and/or extraembryonic tissues in embryogenesis. Here, we show that zebrafish embryonic tissue explants, prepared prior to germ layer induction and lacking extraembryonic tissues, can specify all germ layers and form a seemingly complete mesendoderm anlage. Importantly, explant organization requires polarized inheritance of maternal factors from dorsal-marginal regions of the blastoderm. Moreover, induction of endoderm and head-mesoderm, which require peak Nodal-signaling levels, is highly variable in explants, reminiscent of embryos with reduced Nodal signals from the extraembryonic tissues. Together, these data suggest that zebrafish explants do not undergo bona-fide self-organization, but rather display features of genetically encoded self-assembly, where intrinsic genetic programs control the emergence of order.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Show all Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping