Work

Mechanisms of tissue fusion during development

Year: 2012

Type: review

Abstract: Tissue fusion events during embryonic development are crucial for the correct formation and function of many organs and tissues, including the heart, neural tube, eyes, face and body wall. During tissue fusion, two opposing tissue components approach one another and integrate to form a continuous tissue; disruption of this process leads to a variety of human birth defects. Genetic studies, together with recent advances in the ability to culture developing tissues, have greatly enriched our knowledge of the mechanisms involved in tissue fusion. This review aims to bring together what is currently known about tissue fusion in several developing mammalian organs and highlights some of the questions that remain to be addressed.

Source: Development

DOI: 10.1242/dev.068338

Authors: Heather J. Ray, Lee Niswander

Institutions: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Children's Hospital Colorado, University of Colorado Anschutz

Language: English

Topic: Developmental Biology and Gene Regulation

Subfield: Molecular Biology

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funders: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, National Institutes of Health