2020 journal article
Sonic hedgehog signaling directs patterned cell remodeling during cranial neural tube closure
ELife, 9.
MeSH headings : Animals; Brain / embryology; Cell Shape; Hedgehog Proteins / metabolism; Hedgehog Proteins / physiology; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Neural Crest / embryology; Neural Tube / embryology; Neural Tube / growth & development
doi.org (publisher)
UN Sustainable Development Goal Categories
3. Good Health and Well-being
(OpenAlex)
Source: ORCID
Added: March 23, 2022
Neural tube closure defects are a major cause of infant mortality, with exencephaly accounting for nearly one-third of cases. However, the mechanisms of cranial neural tube closure are not well understood. Here, we show that this process involves a tissue-wide pattern of apical constriction controlled by Sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling. Midline cells in the mouse midbrain neuroepithelium are flat with large apical surfaces, whereas lateral cells are taller and undergo synchronous apical constriction, driving neural fold elevation. Embryos lacking the Shh effector Gli2 fail to produce appropriate midline cell architecture, whereas embryos with expanded Shh signaling, including the IFT-A complex mutantsIft122andTtc21band embryos expressing activated Smoothened, display apical constriction defects in lateral cells. Disruption of lateral, but not midline, cell remodeling results in exencephaly. These results reveal a morphogenetic program of patterned apical constriction governed by Shh signaling that generates structural changes in the developing mammalian brain.