Insights into mammalian morphogen dynamics from embryonic stem cell systems.
Morphogens play an essential role in cell fate specification and patterning including in laying out the mammalian body plan during gastrulation. In vivo studies have shed light on the signaling pathways involved in this process and the phenotypes associated with their disruption, however, several important open questions remain regarding how morphogens function in space and time. Self-organized patterning systems based on embryonic stem cells have emerged as a powerful platform for beginning to address these questions that is complementary to in vivo approaches. Here we review recent progress in understanding morphogen signaling dynamics and patterning in early mammalian development by taking advantage of cutting-edge embryonic stem cell technology.
['Camacho-Aguilar|Elena|E|', 'Warmflash|Aryeh|A|']
D000818:Animals D019521:Body Patterning D002454:Cell Differentiation D029721:Drosophila Proteins D004331:Drosophila melanogaster D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells D054262:Gastrulation D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
Embryonic stem cells Gastrulation Self-organization Signaling dynamics Mammalian development