Login / Signup

A self-generated Toddler gradient guides mesodermal cell migration.

Jessica StockTomas KazmarFriederike SchlummEdouard HannezoAndrea Pauli
Published in: Science advances (2022)
The sculpting of germ layers during gastrulation relies on the coordinated migration of progenitor cells, yet the cues controlling these long-range directed movements remain largely unknown. While directional migration often relies on a chemokine gradient generated from a localized source, we find that zebrafish ventrolateral mesoderm is guided by a self-generated gradient of the initially uniformly expressed and secreted protein Toddler/ELABELA/Apela. We show that the Apelin receptor, which is specifically expressed in mesodermal cells, has a dual role during gastrulation, acting as a scavenger receptor to generate a Toddler gradient, and as a chemokine receptor to sense this guidance cue. Thus, we uncover a single receptor-based self-generated gradient as the enigmatic guidance cue that can robustly steer the directional migration of mesoderm through the complex and continuously changing environment of the gastrulating embryo.
Keyphrases
  • cell migration
  • induced apoptosis
  • oxidative stress
  • pregnant women
  • cell proliferation
  • pluripotent stem cells