After MT2 - Mesoderm Flashcards
Previously we talked about morphogens involved in the differentiation of ectoderm (BMP and to an extent Wnt, when thinking of placodes). What morphogen across what axis is responsible for the different lineages of mesoderm?
BMP, differing across the D-V axis.
To some extend Wnt, when considering cardiogenic mesoderm.
Name the major lineages of mesoderm, from structures found medially to structures found laterally.
The chordamesoderm
The paraxial mesoderm (somitic mesoderm)
The intermediate mesoderm
The lateral plate mesoderm
What structure does the chordamesoderm form?
the notochord
How can you stain for chordamesoderm?
Stain for chordin mRNA
What structure does the paraxial mesoderm form?
The somites and the head
How can you stain for paraxial/somitic mesoderm?
Stain for the gene Paraxis
What structure does the intermediate mesoderm form?
The urogenital system
What structure does the splanchnic mesoderm of the lateral plate mesoderm form?
The mesoderm of the circulatory system - th eheart, blood cells, vessels and linings of body cavities
What structure does the somatic mesoderm of the lateral plate mesoderm form?
The skeleton of the pelvis and limbs.
How can you stain for lateral plate mesoderm (splanchnic AND somatic)?
stain for the gene Pax2.
The BMP gradient which we know increases medially to laterally also affects what mesoderm lineage you get.
High BMP → ______________.
Low BMP → ______________.
No BMP → _______________.
- Lateral plate mesoderm
- Paraxial mesoderm
- Chordamesoderm
If you were to do an experiment and inject a BMP inhibitor (say, noggin) in the LPM (lateral plate mesoderm), what would happen?
The amount of BMP in that area where you injected noggin is no longer enough to specify lateral plate mesoderm. It will be at lower BMP levels, which may match what paraxial mesoderm is often exposed to, so you will get the induction of paraxial mesoderm/somites in that region where you’d usually find lateral plate mesoderm instead.
Most of what we’ll discuss about mesoderm will be relevant to the _____ embryo.
chick
Chordamesoderm forms the notochord; what is the function of the notochord?
To provide rigidity and structure for vertebrate embryos and to act as a messaging centre for tissue around it.
The paraxial/somitic mesoderm at the anterior-most region of the embryo is not segmented but rather forms the _______mesoderm; which forms the skull, connective tissue and muscles of the face.
head mesoderm
Does mesoderm differentiation into these different lineages happen after neurulation?
No, it can happen during neurulation.
Intermediate mesoderm forms the ________ system - which accounts for the kidneys, gonads and associated ducts
urogenital system
The dorsal end of the LPM (lateral plate mesoderm) is the ________ mesoderm, and the ventral end of the LPM is the ________mesoderm
Dorsal - somatic mesoderm
Ventral - splanchnic mesoderm
What mesoderm lineage gives rise to the heart specifically?
The cardiogenic mesodermal cells that arise from splanchnic mesoderm of the lateral plate mesoderm
The space between the somatic and splanchnic mesoderm form the body cavity and is called the ________.
Coelom
Cardiogenic mesodermal cells are also called/can be interchangeably called as the heart ________ or heart ______
Cardiogenic mesodermal cells = heart anlagen = heart primordia.
After cardiogenic mesodermal cells are induced, how does the heart form? (The answer shouldn’t involve any morphogens because I’m saying AFTER the cardiogenic mesoderm is induced…) in CHICK
After the cardiogenic mesodermal cells are induced, two heart primordia are formed on either side of the midline of the body.
Post gastrulation, the endoderm of the chick begins to pinch upward to form the gut, and this process fuses the two heart primordia together to form one primitive heart.
Cardiogenic mesodermal cells are only induced in splanchnic mesoderm above/dorsal to what structure?
Only in splanchnic mesoderm above pharyngeal endoderm
Where is the pharyngeal endoderm located?
Beneath splanchnic mesoderm, found only in the ANTERIOR portion of the embryo.
The pharyngeal endoderm releases what two morphogens?
- BMP
2. Crescent
Crescent is a ____ inhibitor
Wnt
True or false. All two morphogens released by the pharyngeal endoderm; BMP, crescent and the gene induced by BMP, FGF8, are essential for inducing cardiogenic mesoderm properly and getting the correct heart field
True
What are the two function Wnt has related to the induction of cardiogenic mesoderm?
- Wnt promotes the formation of blood
2. Wnt INHIBITS the induction of cardiogenic mesoderm
Describe the induction of cardiogenic mesoderm.
In the anterior LPM…
- BMP is released by pharyngeal endoderm. Wnt is released by neural tube.
- Wnt activity is blocked because pharyngeal endoderm releases crescent, a Wnt inhibitor. This stops Wnt from inhibiting cardiogenic mesoderm induction.
- BMP induces FGF8 expression, which increases cardiac protein expression
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At medial regions (i.e. near notochord)… - notochord releases chordin, noggin to block BMP. This prevents FGF8 activation.
- Preventing activation of FGF8 in the medial region is why heart formation doesn’t occur at the medial regions of the embryo.
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In the posterior LPM…
- No Wnt inhibitors (because no pharyngeal endoderm), therefore Wnt (a) inhibits cardiogenic mesoderm induction in the posterior LPM and (b) promotes blood formation.
What genes would you stain for to stain for cardiogenic mesodermal cells?
Mesp1 and Nkx2-5. When staining I recommend using Nkx2-5 since Mesp1 is produced by other tissues in the embryo as well.
If Drosophila have a mutation in Nkx2-5 (the homologue gene in Drosophila is called tinman), it results in what?
No heart formation
What is the anterior heart field?
The anterior heart field is the region of the embryo, often crescent-shaped, where cardiogenic mesoderm is induced.
What are two experiments that tested the importance of BMP in inducing cardiogenic mesoderm? these experiments did the same thing, just in different places in the embryo.
Experiment 1:
- Place a bead of BMP on one side of the embryo where the anterior heart field usually is.
- Stain for Nkx2-5, a gene produced by cardiogenic mesodermal cells.
- Notice that you’ll get ectopic staining/Nkx2-5 expression around the bead, compared to the other side.
Experiment 2:
- Place a bead of BMP on one side of the embryo where the anterior heart field is usually not found (trunk region)
- Stain for Nkx2-5 to locate cardiogenic mesodermal cells
- Notice that you’ll get no staining at all either on the side with the bead, or the side without the bead.
Why doesn’t adding BMP induce cardiogenic mesoderm in the trunk region, where the heart field usually isn’t?
Because the pharyngeal endoderm is not there, and this is what is releasing the crescent. In the trunk region (more posterior) you will have Wnt. Wnt is an inhibitor of cardiogenic mesoderm induction.
Similarly, this region has retinoic acid, which inhibits FGF8.
What determines how far back the anterior heart field extends?
Retinoic acid. Because it inhibits expression of FGF8, needed to induce cardiogenic mesodermal cells.
Retinoic acid is found in what region of the chick embryo? It is produced by what structures?
the trunk (not the caudal region!). Produced by the trunk somites!
What enzyme produces RA (retinoic acid)? What gene codes for this enzyme?
Retinaldehyde dehydrogenase-2 (RALDH2), which is an enzyme that is formed from the gene RADH2
What happens to the anterior heart field if you have a mutation in RADH2?
- RA levels drop in the trunk region
- Since RA can’t inhibit FGF8, the anterior heart field will extend more posteriorly (towards the trunk) than normal.
- leads to an abnormally large heart
Does RA exist in the more caudal regions?
No.
The somites form in what direction?
Anterior to posterior
True or false. In an embryo, the oldest/most mature somites are located at the more anterior end, and the newest ones are at the more posterior end.
True
True or false. New somites are not yet differentiated into their two different regions; the dermomyotome and the sclerotome.
true
Describe the nature of the cells that a new undifferentiated somite has.
New somites are undifferentiated (not yet differentiated into the dermomyotome and the sclerotome) and have an inner core of mesenchymal cells which are sourrounded by mesodermal cells that are epithelial in nature.