A Gene Regulatory Network Balances Neural and Mesoderm Specification during Vertebrate Trunk Development.
Dev Cell 2017;
41:243-261.e7. [PMID:
28457792 PMCID:
PMC5425255 DOI:
10.1016/j.devcel.2017.04.002]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 125] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2016] [Revised: 02/20/2017] [Accepted: 04/03/2017] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Transcriptional networks, regulated by extracellular signals, control cell fate decisions and determine the size and composition of developing tissues. One example is the network controlling bipotent neuromesodermal progenitors (NMPs) that fuel embryo elongation by generating spinal cord and trunk mesoderm tissue. Here, we use single-cell transcriptomics to identify the molecular signature of NMPs and reverse engineer the mechanism that regulates their differentiation. Together with genetic perturbations, this reveals a transcriptional network that integrates opposing retinoic acid (RA) and Wnt signals to determine the rate at which cells enter and exit the NMP state. RA, produced by newly generated mesodermal cells, provides feedback that initiates NMP generation and induces neural differentiation, thereby coordinating the production of neural and mesodermal tissue. Together, the data define a regulatory network architecture that balances the generation of different cell types from bipotential progenitors in order to facilitate orderly axis elongation.
Single-cell RNA-seq reveals a signature of neuromesodermal progenitors
In vitro NMPs resemble and differentiate similar to their in vivo counterparts
Dual role for retinoic acid signaling in NMP induction and neural differentiation
A transcriptional network regulates neural versus mesodermal allocation
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