Wednesday, June 29, 2022
No Result
View All Result
Medical Finance
  • Home
  • News
  • Interviews
  • Mediknowledge
  • Insights From Industry
  • Thought Leaders
  • Coronavirus
  • Whitepapers
  • Home
  • News
  • Interviews
  • Mediknowledge
  • Insights From Industry
  • Thought Leaders
  • Coronavirus
  • Whitepapers
No Result
View All Result
Medical Finance
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Researchers create 3D in vitro model that reveals the origins of human spine

by Medical Finance
in News
‘Lefty’ protein pumps the brakes during initial stages of embryo differentiation
9
SHARES
100
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

The spinal column is the central supporting structure of the skeleton in all vertebrates. Not only does it provide a place for muscles to attach, it also protects the spinal cord and nerve roots. Defects in its development are known to cause rare hereditary diseases. Researchers from the Ebisuya Group at EMBL Barcelona have now created a 3D in vitro model that mimics how the precursor structures that give rise to the spinal column form during human embryonic development.

The spinal column consists of 33 vertebrae, which form pairs of precursor structures called somites. Somites give rise to not only our vertebrae, but also our ribs and skeletal muscles. To ensure that these structures are formed correctly, somite development is tightly regulated, and each pair of somites arises at a particular sequential time point in development. This process is controlled by the segmentation clock, which is a group of genes that creates oscillatory waves, every wave giving rise to a new pair of somites.

“For the first time, we have been able to create periodic pairs of human mature somites linked to the segmentation clock in the lab,” said Marina Sanaki-Matsumiya, first author of the study published in Nature Communications. Using this approach, the researchers developed a 3D in vitro model of human somite formation, also known as ‘somitogenesis’.

Creating a robust somitogenesis process

The team cultured human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) in the presence of a cocktail of signalling molecules that induce cell differentiation. Three days later, the cells started to elongate and create anterior (top) and posterior (bottom) axes. At that point, the scientists added Matrigel to the culture mix. Matrigel is what some scientists call the magic powder: a protein mixture that is critical to many developmental processes. This process eventually led to the formation of somitoids – in vitro equivalents of human somite precursor structures.

To test whether the segmentation clock regulates somitogenesis in these somitoids, the researchers monitored the expression patterns of HES7, the core gene involved in the process. They found clear evidence of oscillations, especially when somitogenesis was about to start. The somites that formed also had clear markers of epithelization – an important step in their maturation.

Somite size matters

The Ebisuya group studies how and why we humans are different from other species when it comes to embryonic development. One of the model systems they use to understand interspecies differences is the segmentation clock. In 2020, the group uncovered that the oscillation period of the human segmentation clock is longer than the mouse segmentation clock.

The current study also shows a link between the size of somites and the segmentation clock.

The somites that were generated had a constant size, independently of the number of cells used for the initial somitoid. The somite size did not increase even if the initial cell number did. This suggests that the somites have a preferred species-specific size, which might be determined by local cell-cell interactions, the segmentation clock, or other mechanisms.”


Marina Sanaki-Matsumiya, Study First Author, Ebisuya Group, European Molecular Biology Laboratory

To study this further, Miki Ebisuya and her group are now planning to grow somitoids of different species and compare them. The researchers are already working on several mammalian species, including rabbits, cattle, and rhinoceroses, setting up a ‘stem cell zoo’ in the lab.

“Our next project will focus on creating somitoids from different species, measure their cell proliferation and cell migration speed to establish what and how somitogenesis is different among species,” said Ebisuya.

Source:

European Molecular Biology Laboratory

Journal reference:

Sanaki-Matsumiya, M., et al. (2022) Periodic formation of epithelial somites from human pluripotent stem cells. Nature Communications. doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-29967-1.

Total
0
Shares
Share 0
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Share 0
Medical Finance

Medical Finance

Related Posts

Horizontal gene transfer between viruses and hosts plays a major role in driving evolution

Online version of algorithm shows how biases in RNA sequences affect gene expression

by Medical Finance
June 29, 2022
0

A recent publication from researchers at the University of Kentucky explains the importance of identifying and understanding how differences between...

Small cluster of neurons in the brain stem found to coordinate vocalization with breathing

NUS researchers discover a new way to interpret unsolved Mendelian diseases

by Medical Finance
June 29, 2022
0

The development of an embryo is a well-orchestrated string of processes, ensuring correct formation and positioning of vital organs of...

New cryo-EM method may be able to shortcut a big step in modern vaccine development

New cryo-EM method may be able to shortcut a big step in modern vaccine development

by Medical Finance
June 29, 2022
0

Scientists at Scripps Research have devised a method that may be able to shortcut one of the big steps in...

New mathematical model can calculate the risk of resistance evolution for drug pairs

Discovery illuminates a blueprint to develop new antibiotics for killing bacteria

by Medical Finance
June 29, 2022
0

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than 2.8 million Americans experience antibiotic-resistant infections each year; more...

Dog brains can detect speech and show different activity patterns to many languages

Study shows how synchronization contributes to transmission, processing of information in the brain

by Medical Finance
June 29, 2022
0

In the early 20th century scientists began to record brain activity using electrodes attached to the scalp. To their surprise,...

First patient-derived stem cell model developed for studying oculocutaneous albinism

Research offers entirely new ways to visualize cell membranes

by Medical Finance
June 29, 2022
0

Research from the lab of Matthew Lew at Washington University in St. Louis offers entirely new ways to see the...

Next Post
New cryo-EM method may be able to shortcut a big step in modern vaccine development

New cryo-EM method may be able to shortcut a big step in modern vaccine development

Study: Will the COVID-19 pandemic end with the Delta and Omicron variants? Image Credit: G.Tbov/Shutterstock

Scientists explore the possibility of Omicron ending the COVID-19 pandemic

0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Login
Notify of
guest
guest
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Support

  • Contact
  • Disclaimer
  • Home
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms And Conditions

Categories

  • Coronavirus
  • Insights From Industry
  • Interviews
  • Mediknowledge
  • News
  • Thought Leaders
  • Whitepapers

More News

  • shutterstock 1016603317 913529de2164475183968b0534c69347 620x480
    New sensor accurately determines the human saliva pH
  • Study: P681 mutations within the polybasic motif of spike dictate fusogenicity and syncytia formation of SARS CoV-2 variants. Image Credit: Lightspring/Shutterstock
    P681 mutations in SARS-CoV-2 spike protein determine fusogenicity
  • Home
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms And Conditions

© 2022 Medical Finance - Latest Financial and Business News

No Result
View All Result
  • Interviews
  • Mediknowledge
  • News
  • Insights From Industry
  • Coronavirus
  • Thought Leaders
  • Whitepapers
wpDiscuz
0
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x
| Reply